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crostern · 6 months

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If you're not making a part 2, I AM. Except this is no happy ending, it's the revenge ending.

—

Grow the fuck up.

Is what Yuu thought as they glare back at the two boys and a cat in front of them.

You're so fucking petty.

Yuu wiped the blood off but it proved to be futile as blood still drips down from their broken nose.

You will pay.

Everyone is looking. With those stare. Lifeless stare. Of pity. Of shock. Of disinterest. They hate it. They hate these pathetic beings that dare to look at them like that. Oh how Yuu wished to gouge their eyes out.

YOU WILL ALL PAY.

Without another word, they left. Slowly after they left, everyone went back to chatting with each other. No one cared to chase after them or look for them. Selfish. Ignorant. Disgusting.

Limping back to the Ramshackle Dorm, they quietly enter and sat on the floor, tired. Too tired to even think. But they have to be active. Especially when they want to put the plan into action. After all, the aftermath is the true satisfaction.

For the past months, Yuu was never seen. No one came to look for them anyway but it doesn't stop anyone to wonder if they have already went home. Either way, the trio - Ace, Deuce and Grim - went on about their life without a care. Hanging out as if they been the best of friends without thinking about the one they left behind. There were no overblot incidents happening as well, the past months. It was all peace.

That is until, something is wrong.

Students have been going missing. No one knows where they've gone to. They checked everywhere. The missing students cases got so big that everyone is so paranoid that no one is alone. No matter what. Still, even in these times, no one bother to check the Ramshackle Dorm.

When an investigation happened, the students were put into questioning. However, nothing they saw is useful in helping the cases. Although few students have said interesting stuff. Those few students said they've seen a mysterious student alone in different corners and different dorms. No one bothered to question the mysterious student for as they all thought it's just a weirdo and Night Raven College has a lot of those.

They will soon regret it.

One day, the headmaster suddenly made an announcement for everyone to gather into the field. It was a suspicious request and what's even more suspicious is the scared tone Crowley has over the intercom. Nonetheless, no one disobeyed and went to gather in the field. Muttering to each other, trying to find out why Crowley wants them all.

AAAAHHHHHHHH!

Many bloodcurdling screams from the front row, surprising the back rows of people. The people at the front tried to run back and push the back row students into the front which them all show what happened.

It was Yuu. It shouldn't be something to scream at if it wasn't for the fact they're dragging a bloodied body in one hand. Everyone screamed in fear and shock, no one thought that Yuu would go this far and violent. They've always been weak to them.

Ace saw it all and despite his better judgement, yelled out towards the unmoving Yuu. He yell insults after insults and questions after questions but was never met with an answer. Suddenly, Yuu laughed. They laughed at him. Their laughter gradually got louder and louder until it was a full blown scream. Yuu's voice getting hoarse they more they continue.

After a while, Yuu's scream came to giggles. They slowly pulled out what looks like to be a remote control on their other hand. They all looked in fear, not knowing what'll happened next.

"If I'm going down, I'm dragging all of you with me."

With that, Yuu press the remote and bombs went off everywhere. In the school and in the field. Those who are unlucky enough to be on top of one of the bombs - in or outside - blows up into millions of pieces. Everyone yelled in fear and pain for those that got injured. Running around in panic like a chicken with it's head cut off, trying to escape. Unfortunately with some of the bombs, fires have spread everywhere making no exits for a lot of them. Screams of terror and pain was heard from everywhere of the vicinity of NRC. Whoever has managed to survive that day, will never forget that day and will forever be in fear and traumatised and life.

"You only have yourselves to blame."

💢 Rage and Regret | Yuu

>> requested: no >> a/n: teehee love you tulip; also i kinda gave up towards the end hope you don't mind

>> masterlist: Ramshackle Masterlist >> synopsis: Yuu gets fed up with the inattention to their mental health and the lack of responsibility from Crowley. >> reader pronouns: They/Them >> warning(s): yelling; blood; broken nose; burn mentions; isolation;

Yuu was fuming. They had defeated yet another overblot, and no one was near them to even ask if they were okay. As they pushed themselves off of the ground, Yuu's right leg gave out from under them. They toppled over, both of their elbows almost giving out as well. Getting up off of the debris again, Yuu shakily stood amidst the people.

Grim was near Ace, who was helping Deuce up off the ground. None of them seemed to be so much as sparing a glance at Yuu to make sure they were alright.

Clenching their fist, Yuu started to stagger away from the overblot scene.

"Yuu!" Deuce finally called out, his voice raspy from yelling spell name after spell name.

When Yuu spun around, they would have seen the torn clothes in both of the freshmen. They would have seen the crease in Ace's eyebrows of concern, and the worry in Deuce's eyes. They would have seen it if it wasn't for the rage.

"Oh shut up, Deuce!" They yelled back. "I don't care what you have to say. You and your stupid cauldron, Ace and his fucking overconfident attitude, Grim and his obsession with tuna cans! I hate it!

"I hate not being cared about! You guys don't care. You're all fucking morons. Gods, I can't believe I'm friends with you! It's like you're trying to isolate me." tears started to come to Yuu's eyes, but they kept going. "And even if Grim lives with me, I bet he would leave in a heartbeat for two cans of tuna. I don't even mean more than two fucking cans of tuna!"

"Yuu..." Deuce's voice came out mumbled.

"I HATE YOU. I HATE YOU I HATE YOU I HATE YOU. I HATE YOU, I HATE RAMSHACKLE, I HATE NIGHT RAVEN COLLEGE, I HATE TWISTED WONDERLAND." Yuu yelled even louder, trying to stay away from their emotions. "LEAVE ME ALONE."

The Ramshackle prefect turned around harshly and started to hobble back to their dorm.

"Yuu—" Deuce's voice got cut off by Ace.

"Yeah, that's right! WALK AWAY. FUCKING COWARD." the redhead yelled back. But Yuu's head was buzzing too much for them to care.

Crowley was waiting at the door of Ramshackle for Yuu.

"My, if it isn't the Prefect of Ramshackle. And where is—"

"Shut up," Yuu cut him off as they opened the door. "Don't fucking talk to me unless you found a way for me to go home."

Slamming the door shut, Yuu slinked down to the floor. They lost a shit-ton of blood, walking all the way back to the building. Their mind was hazy as they tried to get to the bandages, before promptly blacking out as they reached the tile.

When Yuu woke up, they were laying on the floor of the dorm, but there were bandages on them and a pillow under their head. They noticed that Grim wasn't curled up next to them as he usually was the last times they were severely hurt. Holding onto the wall for support, Yuu teetered for a moment before thumping through the halls.

The gray cat was nowhere to be found.

Maybe he just... maybe he's just talking to Ace and Deuce. Yuu told themselves, trying to believe it.

Yuu went back into school a week later. Bandages still covered parts of their skin from head to toe, covering both cuts and burn wounds. Walking into class, the student body suddenly got silent. Yuu thought that was weird.

Spotting Ace, Deuce, and Grim, Yuu tentatively walked over. The silence felt even heavier.

"What do you want?" Ace spat out.

Yuu was surprised by the harshness. "..What?"

"What do you mean, what? You're just gonna insult me, insult us, and think that you can just waltz into class a week later like everything's fine? Huh?"

"In..sult you?" Yuu tried to remember when they insulted him, only for their head to hurt and memory to get hazy.

Ace's chair scraped across the floor as he stood, gripping onto Yuu's collar. "Don't play fucking clueless with me, asshole."

The confused look on Yuu's face infuriated Ace even more. So much so that a punch was thrown.

crunch.

The sound of a broken nose.

"Ah!" Yuu's voice was nasally, they staggered backwards and their hands came up to their nose. They could taste the blood that trailed down the bottom half of their face and dripped onto the floor.

"Get the hell away from me," Ace seethed, and both Deuce and Grim nodded along with him. "Stay the fuck away from us."

Yuu's departure from Twisted Wonderland was a lonely one.

Their ceremonial robes were tucked under their arm, no one came to send them off.

No good luck, goodbye, or even a simple nod.

Just them alone with a rippling mirror.

Yuu always felt separated from the people in Twisted Wonderland. But never more than now.

SEND IN AN ASK TO BE PUT ON/TAKEN OFF MY TAGLIST

#twst #twisted wonderland #ace trappola #deuce spade #twst grim #grim #rushed. i am hurt and i want revenge.#arson👍 we love that as revenge #not too proud because this was out of desperation #twst yuu #twst x yuu #except it's not romantic #lmao

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crostern · 6 months

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Woah the first textfic post where sebek isn't a cheating with Malleus worshipper to his own lover

🫙 Jars of Love | First Years x Reader

>> requested: no >> a/n: another one ig. inspo from this bllk work

>> masterlist: ramshackle (misc.) >> summary: you ask them to fill jars >> reader prns: they/them >> warning(s): none

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crostern · 7 months

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I dub thee with a tag to remember

The hidden creator

I had a plot bunny idea

TW: usual cult stuff, hints of yandere

-gn reader (I tried making it gender-neutral if there is a comment that is off please tell me and I will fix it)

EDIT: 14/11/2023 (changed some wording and other stuff nothing major)

Creator Reader Pov:

-You were just a regular person who one day woke up in Teyvat out of all places

-You realized you still had all your game features and figured it was one of the perks of being isekaied like in other isekai stories

-The whole thing is weird and why you were here, you had no idea

-After the novelty wears off you take some time mourning the loss of your previous life and the people you knew

-After that you try to get a semblance of a normal life like getting a job and trying to be independent

-Despite having a game system you do not want to be an adventurer or learn how to fight it's not for you

-You were previously an average civilian and raised as one it would be hard to become a fighter now

-Instead you gravitated towards creating things, you found an apprentice position in a clockwork shop in Fontaine

-It is fun and you get to tinker with gears and clocks, learning how various machines work and how to create your own items

-overall you are content

-Except weird people occasionally come by the shop you work at including the Iudex of Fontaine which had both you and the shopkeeper sweating the first few times

-Yet the man who insisted you call him by his name Neuvilette is really polite and nice to talk to, soon you warmed up to him

-You could not help the feeling as if you knew him from before, as if you forgot something, you were unusually fond of him.

-Your other "clients" if you could call them that were more intimidating, you had no idea what they were doing in this shop and it scared you

-The Fatui Harbringers occasionally stopped by the shop to buy a trinket or two before leaving, it honestly scared you and the thaught of running away to another nation had crossed your mind once or twice yet you liked your job and your boss and you made some good friends here so it was hard to leave

-Overall you were doing okay

-Except it seems the people here almost in a cult-like manner worship a creator that was never in the game lore

-It is said they resided in Celestia and not many people actually got to see them, not that it mattered for a nobody like you

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tsaritsa Pov:

-The Tsaritsa knew their so called creator was fake

-She knew she had to get rid of the fake creator as they and Celestia had caused irreparable damage

-Even if she had to stain her hands

-One day it happened something shifted in the earth, air, water- no the whole of Teyvat

-It happened so softly like a small snowflake landing on the ground

-She was hypnotized as if a siren was beckoning her she found you.

-You were their true creator

-You were wearing apprenticeship clothes tinkering with something in your hands and deeply concentrated

-She wondered if that is how you created the universe with careful and steady hands guiding and shaping it to your will.

-She wanted to take you away from this. . . small shop, yet she knew begrudgingly you were safe here, if anyone were to find out a sliver of your existence. . .

-You were safer hidden among mortals

-It left a bitter taste in her mouth

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Neuvilette Pov

-It just happened one day, out of the blue, he could feel it in the shift of the waters

-The way Furina shifted and turned her head unable to sit still confirmed he was not the only one feeling this

-Something happened and he had no idea what exactly happened

-There was this familiar presence this comforting feeling, ancient old instincts waking up

-He followed it without thought until he came upon an in inconspicuous clockwork shop

-He was confused but did not hesitate to step inside

-Then he saw you and everything clicked

-It was you his creator his universe his everything

-You were back

-It seems in this incarnation you were just a human

-That was fine he was oaky with that as long as you were here

-His heart ached seeing you

-He wanted to hug and ask you to never leave again to always stay by his side, for you to comfort him after what had happened and console him

-He should take you way somewhere safer somewhere better not here-

-But weren't you safer hiding among mortals, a part of his mind whispered, no one would suspect you being here even the fake (he cursed them) would not think of finding you here, if he brought you back with him it would create more attention on you

-Attention that would cause you trouble

-He left with defeat on his steps

-It was later he would met the Tsaritsa and a deal was struck

-All for your sake

#hidden apprenticeship #genshin impact #self aware au #self aware genshin #sagau #neuvillette #the tsaritsa #fatui harbringers #fatui #cult au #slight yandere #will be waiting patiently for

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crostern · 7 months

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Baudelaire Reader in Sagau au? Better yet in the imposter au

Just misfortune surrounding Reader left and right but they are smart enough everytime in escaping their grasps

That's all

Elaborate later it's almost 11 pm here

#sagau x reader #self aware genshin #genshin impact sagau #sagau #genshin impact #genshin impact x reader #sagau impostor au #sagau idea

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crostern · 7 months

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Part 2

Part 1 | Part 3

I had fun with this one. It's been fun getting this started, writing characters as best I can, and getting this show on the road! If there are any triggering parts in this, let me know and I'll add on a warning.

wc: 1957

The air in the Angel’s Share had shifted. The drunk Bard’s loud singing and boisterous laughter had dwindled to silence. Diluc looked up from the inventory book, seeing Venti sitting upright and tense, hand wavering just by the bottle of dandelion wine, head inclined at a subtle angle, as though listening to the whispers of an unseen being.

Beneath the mountains of Liyue, Azhdaha ceases his cries as the world around him silences as Teyvat’s internal conflict resolves itself. The earth begins speaking again, indecipherable words that Azhdaha is accustomed to, growing louder and louder, deafening to his sensitive ears.

Zhongli hears it too. Even in this mortal form, he is still attuned to the stories Teyvat says, has grown accustomed to ignoring the senseless chatter of the world. The silence unnerves him.

The entities of the Abyss shift in the ancient halls, quieting as something calls to them from afar. The Princess smiles to herself.

In turn, Foul Legacy claws at the edges of Childe’s mind in a poor attempt at claiming consciousness. It settles for a quiet harmony of Abyssal murmurs. It feels strangely calm for the creature. Too human. Almost religious.

Teyvat has been disquieted, in disharmony with itself. It hides it well. Celestia cannot be allowed to know.

The landing lacks the same harshness that pulled you to this strange world in the first place, instead landing you on the ground carefully, as you would a pet or a delicate heirloom. “So this is real, right?” You look over at Gene, collecting yourself. “We’re in Genshin Impact?” They shrug, looking around with caution.

“There’s the Dawn Winery.” you follow their gaze. Sure enough, there it was. You were on the heightened area near the Statue of the Seven, overlooking Springvale. From here, you could see the great city itself, windmills dimly lit by the moonlight. A crisp breeze blew in, rustling the tall grasses around you. With the quiet surroundings and the peaceful atmosphere, Mondstadt felt nothing short of home.

“I don’t care if it’s Buckingham Palace or Disneyland. I want to find someplace to sleep.” It turns out that being transported into a new world after a long day of stress wasn’t the greatest of feelings. You begin a careful descent towards the road, using Windrise as a point of reference.

“Likewise.” Gene follows, taking hold of your arm whenever your footing becomes unsteady. As Windrise grows closer, so grows your need for rest. You’re soon leaning on Gene for support. The gentle breeze fades as you approach the large tree. The Statue of the Seven looms larger than you expected, even stranger to see in real life. Gene takes the opportunity to touch it. The Statue’s light glows violet in turn. A slow transition.

“Let’s just see if we can get some place at the Goth Grand Hotel or the Church. Surely the sisters can’t say no to us. The poor, helpless outlanders.” Slumping over their shoulder melodramatically, you yawn. “It’s getting too late.” The pair of you make your way to the city, with no real plan. Timmy is absent from the bridge. A shame. You rather liked tormenting seeing the boy interact with his pigeons. But it was late, and thus, understandable that he was absent.

“Halt, strange, yet respectable travelers!” The familiar line wakes you up a bit, your head snapping up to look at the speaker. It’s only Lawrence, accompanied by Swan, guarding the gate. Of course it wouldn’t be Amber. It’s not her duty to guard the gate, after all. “What brings you to the gates of Mondstadt so late?”

“We’re only looking for a place to stay for the night, sirs.” Gene continues to shoulder your weight as they speak to the guards. They offer a disarming smile to the men. That same gentle twist of the lips that you’ve become so accustomed to. A smile that practically begs to be trusted.

“The Church or the Headquarters may have a place for you to stay. Do you know anything, Swan?” Lawrence glances at the other man, probing for an answer.

“I’m not sure. I can escort them to the Church if need be.” Your drowsiness dampens the words, your body growing heavy. Soon, your weight is heavy on Gene’s back, unsupported by your consciousness as a deep slumber overtakes you.

The Anemo Archon had become restless. The dandelion wine was left untouched on the counter, the solemn nature of the bard causing some unease in the tavern. Diluc almost preferred the boisterous and easygoing attitude.

Not that it mattered at the moment though. The tavern would be closing in a quarter of an hour. It was time to begin closing. Diluc began by approaching the other patrons, quietly asking them to leave and informing them that the tavern would close soon. Finally, it was down to Venti.

“It’s almost closing time.” The bard remained still, unresponsive. Then he turned, looking up at the bartender.

“The wind carried news, Master Diluc.” Venti’s soft smile is out of place, unmatched with his quiet tone. “Good news.” He seems to have been waiting for someone to ask.

“News?” He couldn’t deny his curiosity, especially if the Anemo Archon thought it was good.

“The Creator has returned, Diluc! The Creator! And, if the winds are accurate, then they’ve brought another with them!” Venti grinned, standing from his chair. “They should have reached Mondstadt by now. Good night, Diluc.”

The influx of information causes Diluc to stiffen. The Creator? But the holy texts had predicted them to arrive much later. Venti pranced out of the tavern, leaving the bartender alone to his thoughts in the Angel’s Share.

Venti allowed the wind to guide him, whispers fueling his excitement. Following the new Anemo footprint of the Creator, he made his way to the Church of Favonius.

You awoke to the sound of idle chatter. Sitting up, you took in the sight of the well lit interior of the Church of Favonius. Gene’s laughter was what rang out across the church, allowing you to get up and track them more easily. You grabbed the blanket and wrapped it around yourself, following the voices.

You had been sleeping on a pew in the back of the church, so it wasn’t all that difficult to walk to the front, where people were gathered and talking. As you picked apart the crowd, you could see Barbara, the sisters, Gene, and Venti himself.

“Oh, Y/N!” Gene waved you over, settling their hand on their neck as they turned their attention to the others. “This is my dearest friend.” folding your arms across your chest, you approach the group, giving an awkward wave. Part of you had hoped it was a dream. The reality was an uncomfortable one to be accustomed to.

“Oh, so this is the esteemed friend you spoke of!” Venti approaches quickly, drawing a subtle flinch from Gene. “Of similar caliber to yourself, Creator?” The final word is what captures your attention. Creator? You had read the stories and Aus. This couldn’t possibly end well, could it?

“Yes. Y/N is from the same realm as myself.” Their discomfort was obvious, in need of something to lean onto. You approach, draping an arm across their shoulders.

“Yep! So… what tales of grandeur are said about you, Gene?” Perhaps if you can find what myths detail them, then you can prevent future danger.

“I’m not sure. I’ve been away for so long…” With a nervous laugh, Gene looks back to the people. Long conversations with strangers, no matter how familiar they seem, had always been a bit difficult for them.

“Do you have any tales, Venti?” You offer a point of conversation to the extroverted bard.

“Of course! I’ll tell you all about it. We’ve even got a whole, ehm... library, for you.” Venti laughed. “I’ll tell you about it when we get there. C’mon!” Approaching the end of the cathedral, opening the entrance to the basement. “Oh, Barbara! Is everything ready down there?”

“Yes, yes!” A rushed voice called back, the stairs creaking. The blonde deaconess exited the basement, curtsying as she spotted Gene. “It’s really you! And your attendant! It’s truly my honor to be present so soon after your descent.” Her words are honeyed, too sweet for your liking. “Um, please come down! We’ve been preparing it for you.” She ushers you down the stairs quickly, the creaking accompanying you.

You’re greeted by the expansive basement, the far ambulatory chambers with statues in the likeness of each archon, another in the likeness of Gene in the center of the apse. The nave has pews closer to the statue, albeit only a few rows. Bookshelves line the walls closest to the front. It is a meager church, unlike what you read about.

“The worship of the Creator is prohibited by Celestia.” Venti pipes up. “In fact, all texts about you were abolished and almost completely destroyed. This is what remains after years of tracking them down.”

“Venti happened to have a collection. After your signs began appearing across Teyvat, the churches and temples opened in secret again. I would say they began happening after the Traveler arrived in Mondstadt.” Barbara smiles sweetly. “You’re more than welcome to come here as much as you’d like.”

“Thank you.” The pleasantries continue as you wander over to the bookshelves, looking for interesting titles and points to research. “The Books of Creation”, “The Heavenly Principles” “Prophecies of the Primordial One”... Each book proves worthy of looking over. Pulling one off the shelf, you begin to read, opening to a note in the beginning. It appears to be a dedicated journal.

The Creator, on their own, is reality. The only god needed to prosper. With their blessings, our nation can prosper. Remember that, Alberr.

You skim through the everyday things, gathering context clues until you begin to read fully.

19.8.

The field tillers are working better than we thought they would. Other nations have expressed concern involving them, but it is a breakthrough that we cannot allow to go to waste.

24.8

Siarri consulted the books the other day. The Creator is due to return from their journey soon. Perhaps they can give us an ultimatum about the field tillers then. I don’t want to give up so easily on the years of work we’ve put into it. It’s worth being outcasted from the other nations.

24.8

Siarri has taken to calling me names.

1.12

The creator is late.

25.1

Khaenri’ah has fallen. Celestia came in with no prior signs of hostility. The archons were there too, fighting with a vengeance. Almost like they were taking something back. Were they upset because their people were inclined towards our ways?

Celestia has been in turmoil since then. Worship of the Creator has been outlawed. Does that extend to the archons? Aren’t they closer to the Creator than us mortals are? Barbatos and Rukkhadevata used to be all for the worship of the Holy one. Maybe the Cataclysm is what caused this change. It caused Khaenri’ah to fall, so I can only imagine what damage has been caused to Sumeru and Mondstadt. What damage it will eventually cause.

We can’t blame anyone. But we can make inferences. I’m going to travel and make as many connections as I can. I’ll get another journal to write that down in.

29.12

To-Do

Buy a new bag journal

Check in with the kids

Document Mondstadt

The journal is gently taken from you, glanced at briefly by the taker, and set aside. “I’m afraid that wasn’t meant to go to the library.” The voice is immediately recognizable. You turn carefully. “Kaeya, Knight of Favonius. It’s an honor.”

#genshin sagau #sagau #genshin #genshin impact #genshin imagines

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crostern · 7 months

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I need to remind myself to read this again for new updates

"Do Paimons Dream of Floating Sheep?"

Mondstadt: Part I Part II Part III

Based on this

Featuring: Gender-Neutral Reader, Paimon!Reader, Genshin Impact various x Reader, Yandere Genshin Impact

Word count: 2.7k

Synopsis: Being dragged into the world of your favorite video game is hardly your idea of a relaxing Saturday, and being dragged into the world of your favorite game, taking over the role of mascot even less so. Unfortunately, it seems fate has no interest in what you consider to be a normal day, and it will do anything to replace your idea of normal entirely.

Includes: Drowning, bodily harm, reader is kind of a doormat/people pleaser, reader is described as being afraid of heights,

It's cold.

Your eyes are open, but you can't tell up from down. All you see is water. Water to your left. Water to your right. Water in your lungs.

You are drowning.

Panic rises in your chest, up to your throat, and bubbles out of your mouth as you sink further into the lake. You desperately try to avoid breathing in, but your throat is burning. There’s a pressure sinking into you. You thrash around, desperately searching for a lifeline. For something to grab onto.

Your hand brushes against something sharp, and you, without hesitation, latch onto it. Pain shoots up from your hand to your arm as you grab the object and pull. It hurts, but the pain only makes your grip tighten as you attempt to leverage it, to use it to pull yourself up from the watery depths.

Something reacts to your rugs, and your body is pulled violently upwards. Your hand feels like it’s been split open, but that hardly matters. Not when you’ve finally reached the surface, coughing and retching uncontrollably. Your whole body shakes as you convulse and expel the water from your airways. Finally, it’s over.

You look down at your hand, a fishing hook is lodged rather severely in the skin. There’s blood everywhere, with chunks of torn skin and gashes littering your palm. A grisly sight, to be sure. You look upwards, hoping to see your savior, but all you see is yellow.

A blonde traveler stands over you. Wait, isn't that…?

Are you dreaming?

No, you can't be. The sensation of drowning and the hook lodged in your hand was too painful to be anything other than reality. If this were a dream, the shock to your senses would have been more than enough to wake you up. Then…

A hand waves in front of your face, and you jolt to attention. "Hey—! Are you okay?"

"Oh-! Yes, I'm…I'm okay,” you say, coughing a little. The Traveler sighs.

"You really scared me there. How did you even fall into the lake in the first place?"

"Well…" You look down, avoiding eye contact by fixating yourself on removing the hook from your skin.

It was late at night, with your only source of light coming from your computer screen as you wait for Genshin to boot up. You were tired, but your resin was about to be full, and you still hadn't done your dailies. Finally, the game loads, and you enter, bracing yourself for the incoming white light. It nearly blinds you when it comes, far brighter than usual. Quickly, you cover your eyes to protect your retinas, but the light disappears as soon as it comes.

Carefully, you open your eyes, stumbling backward at the sight before you. You fall on your butt. It hurts, but you pay it no mind.

You’re inside the loading screen. The realization makes you jump to your feet and take a tentative step forward. Like in the game, your path creates itself in front of you, expanding with every step. It stops when you reach a door.

You glance behind yourself, watching as pillars and bridges float around you as the clouds drift about beneath your feet. The rest of the bridge is gone, you realize. There’s no going back. You take a deep breath and open the door.

You’re falling. Hurtling down towards the earth like a comet soaring through space. But you are not a comet, you are a human, a fragile, mortal human. One that could not possibly survive a fall from this height. You try to scream, but no words leave your lips. The silence is broken with a loud splash! as your body hits the water.

You can’t just say that, though.

"...I guess I was just unlucky," you settle on, just as you free the hook from your hand and toss it aside. If Aether noticed the pause you took between answering him, he doesn’t say anything. Good. You’d rather not have to explain yourself, especially when you were feeling so not yourself. “Thanks for saving me,” you say rather abruptly. You realize that you had forgotten to thank him before, perhaps because you were too busy lying to your savior. You feel a pang of guilt, but you ignore it.

“Don’t mention it,” he says, then turns away from you. You pay him no mind and move to wash the blood from your palm. “Say, are you…from around here?”

Ah.

He’s looking for a guide.

That’s too bad. You aren’t Paimon. You remove your hand from the lake and shake the water off, about to tell him that you actually come from a far-off land when the water stills, and you catch a glimpse of your reflection.

You aren’t Paimon. You shouldn’t be Paimon.

And yet. And yet.

You gaze into your reflection. Under a rose-gold halo are white puffs of hair that frame your face, bangs kept at bay with a black hair clip shaped like a diamond. A hand waves in front of your face.

“Sorry,” you say. “You asked if I was from around here, right?” The Traveler nods, a hopeful glint in his eyes. You sigh and look down at your lap. Your white shorts are stained red, but it h ardly matters. “I’m not. I just got here, actually.” You don’t dare to look up; if you saw the desperation on his face, you know you would crack, crumble, and give in immediately.

You can’t. You need to find a way home.

But…do you really want to do that alone…?

You make the mistake of glancing up at the Traveler, nearly flinching at the look of pure, unadulterated disappointment in his eyes.

You falter.

It’s already too late. You hear yourself say, “But!” before you even realize you’ve opened your mouth. The hope in Aether’s eyes makes it all worth it. “I do know a lot about this area. Why? Do you need a guide?” “You’d be willing to do that?” No, your mind screams.

“It’s the least I can do after you saved my life,” you say, cursing yourself internally. Damn you and your bleeding heart. Why can’t you learn to say no?

Aether lights up, thanking you profusely. He introduces himself, and you do the same.

Ah, fuck. You can’t say no to this cinnamon roll. You have to help.

And you do. You listen to his entire story as he recounts the opening scene of the game, and you watch as he draws the Heavenly Principles in the sand. You watch yourself as you tell him you’ll help him meet the Seven, and you watch the two of you as you head to Mondstadt City, knowing the dragon that lies ahead.

•~•~•~•~•

"The place we're in now is called Mondstadt, but it's also known as the City of Freedom. Its god is the Anemo Archon Barbatos, but, being the God of Freedom, he's not really the one who rules over Mondstadt. Instead, it's the people who rule over themselves," you say, seemingly already adjusted to your role as a travel guide. The Traveler trails behind you, listening intently as you continue your speech.

"The main government is the Knights of Favonius, ruled by Grand Master Varka and Vice Grand Master Jean. Because Varka is currently away on an expedition, Jean has become the Acting Grand Master in his stead. It's just as well. I hear that she's more competent than he is…" You pause, then glance around nervously. If you remember correctly, you're supposed to meet Amber around here somewhere. She probably wouldn’t like someone badmouthing her Grand Master. "Don't tell anyone I said that, though, okay?" Aether nods, and you breathe a silent sigh of relief as the two of you reach the first important landmark in the game.

"Oh! Here, this is a Statue of the Seven, it depicts Barbatos. Why don't you go up and touch it? Maybe you'll receive a blessing!" Of course, you already know what will happen when he touches it, but he doesn't. Aether does as you say and walks up to the statue, granting him the power of Anemo. "The city is just up ahead, but maybe we should test out your new ability first? Hey, look, there are some slimes over there!" Aether nods, making quick work of the slimes.

"Whoa, it's even better in real life…"

"What did you say?"

Before you can answer, a loud, thunderous roar sounds from a distance. You both look up to see Dvalin soaring across the sky.

Right, you remember this part. Next, you're supposed to follow him and meet Venti. However…

"Do you think we should follow it?"

"Are you crazy?! That's a dragon," you say, mustering up the best fearful expression you can. "Let's not bother it." Truthfully, you're not afraid of Dvalin, but in the game, when Paimon and the Traveler follow Dvalin, it doesn't go well. If the two of you avoid this event, then Venti might succeed in purifying his tainted blood, and the Storm Terror incident could be resolved before you even reach the city! You hope so, anyway.

“Let’s keep going, then. The city is just up ahead, right?” You nod, and the two of you begin to make your way down when all of a sudden…

"May the Anemo God protect you, stranger!" You whip your head around—it's Amber! "I am Amber, Outrider for the Knights of Favonius. You don't look like citizens of Mondstadt. Explain yourselves!" Oh, right, she was super suspicious of Paimon and the Traveler when they first met, wasn't she?

“Isn’t that like, super rude? You can’t just walk up to someone minding their own business and ask them to explain themselves. And for what? Because they look like strangers? Xenophobia alert, anyone?” You say, but only in your head. “We-we’re not looking for trouble,” you say, out loud.

"That's what all the troublemakers say." You’re pretty sure everything she’s said thus far has come directly from the game, an unnerving thought that you don’t have time to dwell on because Aether steps in front of you, an uncharacteristically fierce expression on his face.

"That's a rather rude way to speak to guests," he says.

"Oh, ah…You’re right, I'm sorry. That’s probably not something I should say as a knight. I give you apologies, uh…strange yet…respectable travelers."

"That sounded so fake!"

"Do you have something against the type of language usage prescribed by the Knights of Favonius Handbook?!"

"And what if I do?"

"Woah woah woah, hey now, let's not fight… You said your name was Amber, right? Well, I'm [Name], and this is Aether. We all know each other now, so let's just get along, okay? Here, why don’t we shake on it?" You hold their hands together, desperately trying to dispel the tension between the two. Aether’s face seems to soften at your interjection, and he hesitantly takes Amber’s hand in his. Amber glances at it, then at you, before finally reciprocating.

The handshake is brief and unfriendly, but at least they’re not glaring at each other anymore.

"[Name] and Aether, hmm?" Oh, finally, she said something other than what was written for her in the script. You have to say, though, it's weird hearing your name spoken by a member of the cast. Hell, it's weird to hear Aether's name spoken by a member of the cast. "Alright, how about this: I’ll escort you to Mondstadt City right after I wrap some things up here.”

“Wrap things up? Is there anything we can help with?” Why did you say that? Because you’re in a video game, and you’re looking for sidequests? Seriously? She’s gonna think you’re some kind of weirdo who likes offering free labor and–

“Well, I don’t know about that. It’s not really something civilians should be doing.” Your face burns with embarrassment. “But, thanks for the offer,” she says. Then, she smiles up at you and you’re momentarily stunned. You’ve seen Amber in the game and webcomics, but seeing her in real life is something else. She’s beautiful, you realize. Then, realizing that you had been staring, you glance away.

“Oh! Uh, no problem! Just, um, let us know if that changes or, um, something. Yeah.” Way to go, you. Somehow, you always find a way to make things awkward. Amber, the saint that she is, pays no mind to your fumbled sentence and merely nods.

“I just need to take care of a Hilichurl camp, it shouldn’t take long.”

“Hilichurl camp?” Aether tilts his head.

“Yeah, they’ve been more active than usual lately. It’s a good thing you ran into me, it’d be bad if the Hilichurls got to you first.”

“I can take care of myself.” “Oho, I like your confidence. Let’s see if you can keep it up when you meet these guys, then.”

“You’re on.” There’s a fierce look of competitiveness in their eyes; you feel like you should stay out of this.

As the three of you travel to the camp, Amber begins to make small talk.

“So, suspicious travelers, what are you doing here in Mondstadt?”

“I’m looking for my sister.” You nod, as if to say Yes, and I’m also looking for his sister. “Oh, looking for family, huh? Okay, after we wrap this up, I’ll help you put up wanted posters around the city!” Just as she said that, the camp came into view. “Okay, here we are. You two can wait while I take care of this.” “I’ll help. I’m pretty good with a sword,” Aether says, not wasting a single second before jumping into action. Amber does the same, and the two immediately split off to defeat as many Hilichurls as they can. You’re glad you got Aether to practice using Anemo in advance, as he seems to be relying on it in battle.

That’s…odd, isn’t it? Sure, in the game, the player relies on Anemo too, but that’s just how the gameplay works. Isn’t it stranger for the real Traveler to be relying on something so unfamiliar to him? You don’t have any time to dwell on these thoughts, however, because the two of them have just finished wrapping up. The Traveler won, of course, but it was a close match.

“Wow, you’re pretty good!” Says Amber. “Color me impressed. I didn’t know you had a vision.”

“A vision?” Aether asks.

“Oh! Um, a vision is a sort of gem that allows people to harness and wield elemental powers, it’s not super common, so you have to be pretty extraordinary to receive one. Like, um, look! Here, Amber has a vision. The symbol and color indicate that it’s a Pyro vision, that is, a vision that grants the user Pyro abilities, and the golden encasing wrapped around it indicates that she’s from Mondstadt.” You explain hurriedly. Being a guide requires a lot of talking, you realize.

“Wait, you don’t know what a vision is? Just where are you from? Actually, no, forget that. Here, I want you to have this.” “What is it?” “It’s a wind glider! Considering you don’t even know what a vision is, I take it you’ve never seen one of these before?” Aether nods, and Amber begins to explain to him how it works. “Oh, [Name], should I get one of these for you too?”

“Huh? Oh, ah, I’m okay. I’ll just leave the adventuring to him.” Actually, you might not even need one. The original Paimon was capable of flying. Does that mean that you’re also able to do that…? You make a mental note to test that later. For now, though, you’ll just focus on the people ahead of you. “Hey, Aether, why don’t you go try it out somewhere?” “Are you sure you don’t want to?” “I’m sure. Actually, I’m a little afraid of heights,”

“Can’t be helped then,” Amber says, putting her hands on her hips, then turns to the Traveler. “Here, I’ll show you the ropes. Follow along if you can.” You smile as the two of them take off. Although their relationship started out rockier than the original, you were pleased to see everything else fall into its proper place.

Speaking of things falling into their proper place, it seems that the next major event has taken place.

Stormterror has arrived in Mondstadt city.

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#genshin impact sagau #genshin impact #yandere genshin #self aware genshin #yandere genshin x reader #yandere genshin impact #genshin sagau #sagau #sagau x reader #paimon reader

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