My first Genshin Impact fic. Please follow and fav if you like it and leave some constructive reviews and criticism if you want.
Paimon floated into her room in the Serenitea Pot, the events of Inazuma still fresh in her mind. Her thoughts drifted towards the nation's leader, in particular, the Raiden Shogun or Shoguns. There were two of them after all.
"Everyone has their own internal battles, but not like this. Isn't it a bit extreme?" Paimon had remarked at the group. It was an off-hand comment she made in the heat of the moment but now she couldn't help but frown at the situation itself.
Ei had to engage the Shogun in a centuries-long battle, essentially facing her past self and her beliefs in the most literal way possible. If Ei hadn't held firm in her resolve, her past would have caught up and pulled her back into the shadows. Yet she didn't falter, she held firm to her belief and her duty, not even backing down for a second and never hesitating. She had proven just how strong she was mentally and why her sister could have entrusted her with the entire nation.
Determination and compassion were the traits the archon displayed. She was kind enough to accept the Shogun as more than a tool. That had taken Paimon by surprise most of all. Paimon had assumed Ei would have dismissed the Shogun or simply return to the status quo with the Shogun serving under her once more. Ei had instead accepted the Shogun as its own individual and as an extension of herself. The puppet agreed to this without a fuss.
"I wonder if it was really that simple," Paimon thought. As she glanced at the side of her bed. She could see the little mirror Aether had commissioned Tubby to make for her. It was custom made for her small little body and when Paimon glanced at it she could see her reflection….most days. On very few occasions when Paimon looked into the mirror, she would still see herself., in her room. However, if she stared too long, the room would grow darker and Paimon would find her reflection warping to resemble something else entirely.
Hovering over to the mirror she tried to see if it would be like that today. She stared at the mirror, reaching out towards her reflection. Looking intently at her star-filled eyes as she tried to find something different. Her reflection remained unchanged, complying with her every move, never once deviating…just as it was supposed to.
"Maybe this is a bad idea," Paimon thought. It wouldn't be the first time for her. Still, what was the harm in trying? Looking around she recalled the ritual Yae Miko used to call the spirit that had possessed the traveler. It had worked easily enough, summoning the old author. Perhaps it could summon…her as well, after all, while they were different, it should work with the same principle right.
Paimon looked around the room noticing some paintings of the sky she had, one with Celestia in its background. With some careful positioning, she was able to make a setup like the one Miko used. Sitting in front of the mirror, she was beginning to doubt. What if it worked but things got out of hand? It wouldn't be the first time.
"Oh…come on Paimon, she's been dormant for centuries now," She tried to assure herself. "Maybe she'll be happy to see me," Paimon added. Ei and Makoto's reunion had been a good one and even Azdaha and Morax had some more heartfelt moments. "Although Azdaha did try to kill us,"
Paimon kept weighing her decisions, going back and forth on the pros and cons. Eventually, the dilemma made her grow more frustrated. "Oh, this is hopeless." She whined as she gripped her hair in frustration. "Why can't I just make up my mind," She complained.
"Would you keep it down, you little wimp?" A voice called.
The first response of Paimon was to jump forward and apologize to Aether and Tubby for waking them. Only to realize…that voice wasn't either of them. Blinking she turned to the mirror and her reflection begin to ripple and distort before blending entirely into the darkness. A pair of glowing amber eyes pierced through the darkness and stared into Paimon's own. Paimon was speechless…she hadn't quite expected it to work but it did.
"You better have a good reason for rousing me," The voice scolded. Paimon flinched at the tone. She was not pleased with Paimon waking her. Despite the apathetic and lifeless tone, it seemed to still carry some hints of malice towards Paimon. At least she assumed it was malice, the way the amber eyes stared at her made even Miko and Ei's glares seem preferable.
"Oh huh…Paimon…I mean I just wanted to check up on you," the little fairy corrected. "And see how you were doing?" Paimon stuttered as she tried to force a smile to hide her nervousness.
"What do you want from me shrimp?" The voice chastised. Despite only being a pair of glowing eyes, Paimon was very sure there was a frown hiding in the darkness, and furrowed brows right above said eyes.
"I just want to know if you're doing alright," Paimon tried to affirm but she could feel it was a losing battle. "Nothing else," She added nervously. She nervously fidgeted with her hands as she spoke, an action not unnoticed.
"Last time we talked, it had been when you were on death's door and needed someone to save your sorry life," The voice argued. "And it was the same situation the time before that," The voice noted in a cynical tone.
"Well, these times are different?" Paimon defended. "I've made some new friends and they've helped me, and I've helped them," Paimon said proudly resting her hands on her hips as she put her best smug grin on.
The grin disappeared as quickly as it came when Paimon heard a small chuckle from the figure in the mirror. "Oh really…then what were those tugs I felt," It chided. "I could feel you calling to me; faint as it might be. You woke me up and I haven't been able to fall back asleep since then." They informed. Paimon's eyes widened at the statement that was made.
"Wait…what do you mean I called you…I never did anything like that," Paimon said in surprise. She tried rubbing her chin as she tried to recall when she might have called out for help. She hadn't been pushed to the brink of death recently. So far for the most part…Aether had protected her. Wait for a second…Aether! Paimon's eyes widened as she realized just what they were talking about.
"So, you remember now. Good, I was beginning to worry you'd run out of brain juice again," The mirror echoed. "So, as you can see, I have no interest in helping you with whatever folly you plan to involve yourself in," The voice told Paimon.
"No, you got it all wrong, I didn't intend to call you," Paimon defended. "Paimon, I mean, I was just worried about my friends that's all." She said in a panic. Had she really been terrified enough that she considered drawing the very powers she so despised?
"And you thought to involve me in your problems," The mirror spoke. "Naïve as ever I see. Perhaps I didn't make myself clear. I don't care about you or whatever trouble your friends land you into. As far as I am concerned, just don't do anything stupid like getting yourself killed for insignificant people." It warned Paimon.
"Hey, it's not like I need your help," Paimon defended. Her own voice was faltering, trying to fool the one person who would see her inside and out.
"Oh really," The voice laughed. "You've always been a coward when it came to fighting. That's why you run away most times, right…and when you can't run, you expect me…or others to pick up after you…just like always." It mocked. "Even now, though you now have some human shields…you still hide behind my coat tail."
"That's not true at all," Paimon defended. "I don't need your protection or your power. I can do fine just by myself." She argued. "And as for why I'm here…I truly wanted to know how you were doing,"
"Alright…say I do believe that you came here to check on me," The voice entertained. "What exactly do you expect me to say? It's good to see you again?" It gestured or at least Paimon assumed it did. "You ruined my life first off. Then when I decided to leave you alone…you start pulling me as a panic button whenever you bit more than you can chew. As far as you're concerned, I'm not doing fine, and I haven't been fine in over SEVERAL THOUSAND YEARS." The shadows erupted in a fury, growing and vibrating within the mirror, threatening to break free.
"Look I know our past was bad…but surely, we can make up for it in a better future," Paimon suggested. "I mean this world is a beautiful place and I would love if you could experience it with me." Paimon lamented. The shadows seem to stop their thrashing, but they still remained imposing.
"Just leave me alone, or better yet…why don't you go and return to Celestia, so I can finally go home, leave this prison, and finally do my duty," It shouted. Paimon winced at this. She stared at the mirror solemnly thinking carefully about what to say next. The unfortunate truth was that she knew that was impossible.
"And what if they don't give you back your duty," Paimon questioned cautiously. "What if they figured you'd have been gone for too long? They'd have to find a replacement." They already did, Aether and Lumine had met said replacement when they trying to leave.
"They'd never replace me…. they won't…they can't." The voice said in a quieter tone. "The best they can do is have someone fill my role before I return…that's all they will do," Paimon only glanced at her companion, hiding her pity. Their words were softer than usual to the little fae, with the usual pride behind them being absent. Paimon could see the darkness growing calmer.
"You know what…forget it…this was a mistake," Paimon muttered under her breath. "I'll leave you alone," Paimon said quietly. She shouldn't have tried getting them involved.
"Fine by me," And with that, the voice disappeared and the mirror returned to normal. The voice and presence vanished, but Paimon could still feel something lingering. It was almost as if it wanted to wait for something, despite the disdain they bother shared.
As Paimon left to find her bed, she couldn't help but feel uncomfortable by the presence of the mirror. She had no reason to be. The mirror was no portal, just simply a tool to view the one she desired a connection with. It had no power, no significance to her, but the mere fact she saw them lingering in there made it feel as if they were in the same room as her as illogical as it sounded. It no longer felt like her room, despite there being no other occupant.
Annoyed by the discomfort Paimon did the next best thing that she could think of. She went into the living room and made herself comfortable on the couch. She'd see about getting another room tomorrow, at the very least maybe she can say she feels like the room is haunted. It's not entirely inaccurate but Paimon doubts the being she contacted would accept any attempted exorcisms with stride. On second thought maybe she shouldn't claim to haunt if she knew what was good for everyone else. The last thing Paimon wanted was to explain …her existence…to Paimon's friends.
"Why can't you just accept and understand Paimon?" Paimon thought remorsefully. She could feel it inside her moving back and forth like a wave. Emotions and feelings, not her own, desire and dreams that weren't hers and an emptiness and a void…that belonged to another. "Teyvat would accept you, far more than Celestia would have…."