In the land of Liyue, there exists two sides of the people who walk the land: humans and adepti. Though the two sides often cross paths, they remain segregated, never interacting with either side unless they absolutely must. However, there lived a person born of both human and adepti. She was an anomaly among her people. The humans treated her as an adeptus and the adepti treated her as a human. So where does Ganyu stand, when she carries both the blood of human and adepti?
"What am I? Am I human or am I adeptus?" Ganyu asked the Traveller as the two of them were slowly walking towards Liyue Harbour.
"Why must you be one or the other?" the Traveller asked in return and Ganyu found that she could not give an answer.
In the many years that she has lived, Ganyu has been to many places in Liyue. When she was young, she lived with the Qilin among nature. She grew up in a peaceful world where she could sleep in a field of flowers from dawn to dusk. All of that changed however when the Archon War reached them. Soon, the Qilins found themselves cornered and drawn into a place filled with violence and bloodshed. When Morax rose among the adepti, offering protection to those who would serve him, Ganyu answered his call.
She served him throughout the war, all the way to its end. She witnessed the fall of gods, adepti, and humans. She experienced loss as the people close to her perished. She saw Morax claim the throne of the Geo Archon. She watched the beginnings of a city, created by Morax, the city later called 'Liyue Harbour'.
When the war ended, Ganyu chose to stay in Liyue Harbour where she may better serve the people of Liyue (both human and adepti). However, as time went on and the city grew, she could never bring herself to treat Liyue Harbour as her home.
She had found a place by Morax's side but when it came time for her to leave, she could not find a place where she could belong.
"Where can I go? Where do I belong?" Ganyu asked the Traveller as they looked down at the lights that lit up Liyue Harbour.
"That's a question you have to find the answer yourself," the Traveller answered, his unseeing eyes looking at the same view as she is.
"What about you? Where do you belong?"
The Traveller smiled sadly as he replied, "I'm an outlander. Outlanders don't belong anywhere."
The first time she heard of the Traveller, she was elbow's deep in handling the chaos left behind in the wake of the death of the Geo Archon.
(The Liyue Qixing had been willing to give her time off to grieve but how could she when Rex Lapis trusted her to serve Liyue?)
She had been in denial, even when shown proof of the god's body. After all, how could the Geo Archon who won the Archon war, who had defeated countless gods with his strength alone, be killed? Then rumors spread from the people of a strange foreigner who killed their god. How could that be possible unless the person is a god himself? What would they gain by killing the Geo Archon? To take over his seat? And yet, all they needed to do was to declare themselves as the new Archon and none in Liyue would fight for it.
Her interest in the boy changed after Lady Ningguang summoned her to offer the Traveller an invitation to the Jade Chamber.
"Invite him to come here. I wish to meet him. At the Jade Chamber, together, we shall snip every one of these entwining dark threads."
What had Ningguang seen in the Traveller? Was there something important about him that she had even called off the Millelith from hunting him (even if he is still technically wanted)? Even the adepti who had met him were curious, leading Ganyu to become curious as she sought him out. She had found him and his companion (was his companion some kind of adepti from outside of Liyue?) eating and listening to the storyteller. She kept an eye on them, deciding to wait for the storyteller to finish before making her appearance. The storyteller spoke of the tale of the Jade Chamber, something that Ganyu had bore witness to its creation. Though some parts of the story were greatly exaggerated, it was accurate for the most part and Ganyu could not help but reminisce a little. She approached the Traveller at the end of the story, assuring him that she was not here to hand him over to the Millelith before handing over the invitation to him.
"I have with me a letter from lady Ningguang. She extends a formal invitation to you in her capacity as Tianquan."
After she departed to return to the Jade Chamber to inform Lady Ningguang of the Traveller's agreement, she could not help but feel that there was something strange about the Traveller. Why did he sigh, as if he was feeling put upon, before handing over the invitation letter to his floating companion?
(Ganyu swore that there had been one more person with the Traveller, but she could not recall ever seeing that person with him.)
The next time Ganyu met the Traveller, it had been a complete coincidence. She had been taking a walk at Dihua Marsh, unable to stand staying in the city (that the late Rex Lapis loved) any longer, when she spotted the Traveller slaying whopperflowers. She had wanted to run in and help at first but the Traveller easily slain them with the help of his companion. She approached them from the front slowly, not wanting to scare them off. The Traveller's companion noticed her approach and drew his attention to her, a behaviour that Ganyu had found strange but not enough to make her concerned about it.
(Ganyu had a feeling that there was someone else who had been with them, but she could not feel the presence of anyone else but her, the Traveller, and his companion.)
The Traveller explained that they had been looking for glaze lilies for the Rite of Parting and Ganyu was surprised, why would an outlander care so much about their god to help. She then felt ashamed that Liyue had barely done anything for the god who protected them for thousands of years. Was that why Rex Lapis had chosen to give up his life?
Ganyu departed from Dihua Marsh after assisting the Traveller in his search for the perfect glaze lily and though the conversation with the Traveller had been short, her sullen mood was lifted and a smile came unbidden to her face. Reminiscing on Rex Lapis had helped her remember the good times she had spent with the god, and although it had shamed her that she had not considered helping in the Rite of Parting for Rex Lapis, she would do her utmost best now to help.
However, upon crossing the gates to Liyue Harbour, she had been summoned to the Jade Chamber to deal with the irate adepti demanding to know the events surrounding the death of Rex Lapis. Her fellow adepti had always been stubborn and far too set in their old ways, and this time was no different. They blamed the people of Liyue Harbour for not being able to protect the Geo Archon, they blamed the Liyue Qixing for not being able to find the murderer, they blamed everyone but themselves.
Ganyu tried her best to soothe them but they would not listen, even going as far as to question her allegiance. They started listening however, when Osial rose from the sea, having broken out of his prison to wreak havoc upon Liyue. Lady Ningguang ordered the Jade Chamber to move to the harbour so they may better defend the city and the adepti freely offered their help in this crisis. What Ganyu had not expected to find however, was the Traveller who showed up at the last minute of the planning to inform everyone at the Jade Chamber of what happened at the Golden House. He showed up exhausted, his eyes red as he unconsciously rubbed them intermittently. Xiao, who had been standing away from the crowd, glanced worriedly at the Traveller but made no move to approach him. However, before she could decide if she should approach the Traveller, she was called by Lady Ningguang to discuss the final details of the plan with the adepti and the rest of the Liyue Qixing.
As they talked, there was a sudden noise of commotion from where the Traveller was standing. It was loud enough that everyone aboard the Jade Chamber could hear and the words spoken had most likely shocked everyone who heard it.
"You're blind? You shouldn't be here! We can't fight and protect you at the same time!" the Millelith soldier shouted at the Traveller.
The Traveller looked surprised before his face shifted to that of anger. "I'm blind, not helpless! I don't need your help to protect myself! I can protect myself just fine!"
Fortunately, before things could escalate further, Xiao, the Conqueror of Demons, stepped in and forced the soldier to back down. What was surprising however, was how he willingly gave his approval to the Traveller. How long has it been since he had done that? Not even Ganyu, who had bore witness to him signing his contract with Morax, had seen him give his approval to anyone other than the Geo Archon and the other Yakshas.
With Xiao's approval, the rest of the adepti were more willing to allow the Traveller to assist them in defeating Osial. The Liyue Qixing were slightly more suspicious of allowing the Traveller's involvement but they eventually relented.
"Are you sure we can trust him? We have no idea where he came from and the day he entered the city, Rex Lapis was killed!" Keqing asked, her voice low and her eyes glancing over at the Traveller.
"If the Conqueror of Demons chose to give his blessings to him, then he has one's approval," Cloud Retainer answered, her eyes never leaving the various maps scattered on the stone table.
The plan was finalised and orders were given out. Cloud Retainer upgraded the ballistas that guard the Jade Chamber into one that could feed on the adepti powers to slay even gods. The soldiers were strategically placed to protect the ballistas while the Traveller and Xiao were placed in the middle. When the Fatui showed up, the Traveller and Xiao fought them and not one made it past them. The two of them were in sync. Where Xiao had the Traveller's back, the Traveller had Xiao's back. Had the Traveller not revealed his disability, Ganyu would have never known.
After the ballistas fired, Osial screamed in pain before unleashing an attack that destroyed all the ballistas. Ganyu felt her hope crumble. Is Liyue destined to fall against Osial's might? How was she to fulfill her contract with the Geo Archon if Liyue fell? How was she to serve Liyue if there was no Liyue?
(She cared for the people of Liyue and because she was bound to her contract to protect them, but it was never because the city was her home because the truth was that it never was.)
In the end, Lady Ningguang sacrificed the Jade Chamber to seal away Osial. The Traveller had been the catalyst, concentrating the adepti energy provided by all the adepti on the Jade Chamber and channeling it all into the Jade Chamber. Xiao disappeared with the Traveller as the rest of the adepti brought everyone back to the city. Ganyu was thankful for the Traveller's assistance but she could not help but worry for him. The Liyue Qixing and the adepti all agreed to give the credit to the Traveller. After all, it was with his power that they had been able to deal the final blow. However, at the end of the day, as the adepti returned to their abodes and the humans went to clean up the aftermath, Ganyu felt torn with her decisions. Should she follow her fellow adepti or should she follow her fellow humans?
"Madame Ping must have sensed my distress then. She came to me and sat me down, offering me a cup of tea at the same time. She told me that I didn't have to decide now if I could not. But even now, I still could not come to a decision."
The next time Ganyu met the Traveller, it was the day she found out that she had been replaced.
"When I saw them, the first thing I thought was how easy it was to just replace me. I felt abandoned by the people whom I had served for over a thousand years. I thought that the world didn't care if I couldn't make a decision of where I belong, so they made the decision for me."
She ran to Jueyun Karst with tears in her eyes, crying the entire way to Mount Aocang. She cried her worries to Cloud Retainer who silently listened to her. She cried as she told the adeptus that she wished to be a pure-blooded adeptus. She cried as she told the adeptus how lonely she felt being among humans. Eventually, when her tears ceased, she left to sit at her favourite corner at the top of the mountain. Cloud Retainer flew off to prepare for the trials, leaving Ganyu with her thoughts. She should have known that the humans only cared for other pure-blooded humans, not someone who carries the blood of an adeptus. And yet, knowing this now only served to deepen the betrayal she felt. The Traveller and his companion showed up hours later, looking for her, interrupting her from her thoughts.
(She was surprised and worried. How had the Traveller climbed to the top with his disability?)
She tried to convince them that she was not returning to Liyue Harbour, even going as far as to claim that she had decided to return home at Jueyun Karst and to never set foot in Liyue Harbour again.
(It used to be her home but it had not felt like one for a long time.)
The Traveller and his companion were unconvinced of her words however as they tried to persuade her to return to Liyue Harbour with them once more. Ganyu was adamant in her decision however and both sides remained at a stalemate. At least until Cloud Retainer showed up in the middle of their bickering.
Ganyu left them, stomping away after Cloud Retainer had embarrassed her by telling the Traveller and his companion embarrassing childhood stories of her in front of her despite her protests. It had escalated until she could not bear to stand and listen anymore. She could not fault the adeptus however, as Cloud Retainer was usually unable to tell when she had pushed too far. Perhaps adepti are just unable to empathise with others outside of their circle.
"That's not true," Aether said, after Ganyu told him her thoughts. "Cloud Retainer knew you were upset so she tried to improve the mood. She wasn't making fun of you, she understands your emotions! Even if the outcome was not the one she had intended. If she didn't, she wouldn't have tried."
As Ganyu set off for the trial set up by Cloud Retainer, the Traveller and his companion insisted on following her despite her protests and worries for the Traveller. Cloud Retainer allowed them to join, only if they agreed to assist Ganyu. The Traveller readily agreed and Ganyu could not bring herself to stop them any longer.
"Qilins are very gentle creatures. We do not attack even when provoked. Only when there is nowhere left to go that we fight back. Perhaps that is why I was so accepting of the worst possible outcome."
"That's not it. I think that's just your kind nature."
Ganyu led them to the area for the trial, letting the Traveller hold on to her arm as the mountain wind tried to blow them off. The Traveller hugged his tiny companion to his chest, preventing her from being blown away by the strong gale around them. And as she took to the wind with her glider, the Traveller followed as well. As she did the trial, she would constantly look back on the Traveller to check on his well-being. She was amazed as the Traveller was able to keep up with her, only needing directions from his companion at times.
"Were you not scared?" Ganyu asked once they landed on solid ground at the end of the trial.
"I was terrified the whole time. I could only see you and Paimon with my Elemental Sight and nothing else. But I could do it because I trusted you to lead the way, I trusted that you wouldn't let me fall."
"You would trust an adeptus? One who is not your kind?"
"It's not a matter of whether you're an adeptus or human. I trust you."
Ganyu led the Traveller and his companion to the next trial where Xiao awaited them. Xiao had initially been surprised at the Traveller's presence but quickly shifted back to a neutral stance.
"Aether."
"Oh! Xiao! Are you part of the next trial?"
The Traveller had to reassure Xiao that he was doing the trial by his own decision when Xiao demanded Ganyu to explain the Traveller's presence. In the end, Xiao begrudgingly accepted the Traveller's participation.
(Ganyu could not help but wonder about the relationship between Xiao and the Traveller. When had they become close to each other? Perhaps it was still possible for the barrier that separates human and adeptus to be taken down.)
"Aether is...different from other mortals I have seen. He never calls my name for battle, even when I had allowed him to. Instead, he seeks me out rather than calling me to him. He is a strange person and yet, I find that I do not mind him at all."
Ganyu listened to Xiao as he mused about Aether. She smiled before she spoke, "I understand. He is different from many mortals but I think that is why we became drawn to him."
After explaining the trial to Ganyu and the Traveller, Xiao stepped aside to watch over them.
"The body and the mind are one. If something worries your mind, your body can help you find a solution."
The combat trial was easy with the help of the Traveller and Ganyu could not help but feel that perhaps, she should have done this without the Traveller's help. However, Xiao had accepted the trial's results. This meant that even if she wanted to redo the trial without any external help, Xiao would not be willing to reset the trial for her.
"What's wrong with the results?"
"Because it was not by my own effort that I completed it."
"But the trial was meant to test your body, not your capabilities for completing it."
As Ganyu was listening to Xiao talking about her future training regime, he stopped himself when he felt the presence of a human. He left the area quickly, not even bidding farewell to the Traveller who had not noticed Xiao leaving. It was only after Paimon had quietly mentioned to the Traveller of Xiao's departure after he had tried calling for the yaksha that he realised the man's departure. Ganyu then drew his attention to the pilgrim who had walked up to them by gently nudging the Traveller to face the human.
(She could tell, when the Traveller's shoulders tensed as she maneuvered him into position, that he did not like that. Perhaps when there was time later, she could ask the Traveller what she should and should not do.)
"I don't like it when people try to move me without telling me. It makes me feel like an object instead of a person."
Ganyu understood that in a way. There had been some humans who found out about her adeptus blood and would treat her like a deity, like something to be placed on an altar and worshipped instead of respected like a living being.
Ganyu understood, as she interacted with the pilgrim, the reason why Xiao had left the human to her. The human had a, lightly putting, very entitled attitude to life. He demanded, not ask, for a blessing that would make his life easy. After being told that a blessing was not something that is given but earned, he accused Ganyu of favoritism.
"You're the Traveller aren't you? You came here to get your disability cured, didn't you?" the man accused, pointing his finger at the Traveller. "I heard from my brother that the Traveller's blind! How could you refuse me when you're giving a blessing to him?"
"Ganyu's not giving anyone blessings!" Paimon exclaimed in exasperation.
Without thinking, Ganyu moved to stand in front of the Traveller to shield him from the human. However, with that motion, the pilgrim shifted his target from the Traveller to her.
"Are you even a real adeptus? I bet you're just one of those swindlers posing as an adeptus!" the pilgrim shouted, taking a step towards Ganyu.
In a blink of an eye, the Traveller stood in front of the man before growling, "Leave."
Thankfully, the pilgrim left without any further incident, leaving Ganyu to heave a breath of relief. She thanked the Traveller for his help before asking if there was something she could do in return. When the Traveller brought up returning to Liyue Harbour again, Ganyu gave the thought a little more consideration.
"I thought that coming back to Jueyun Karst and devoting myself to training would make me feel like an adeptus again. But being questioned by him made me realize that I..."
"Please come back to Liyue Harbour with us," the Traveller pleaded.
"But...I'm unwelcome in Liyue Harbor. As an adeptus, I…" Ganyu tried to reason but the Traveller interrupted before she could finish.
"I'm not asking you as a human, adepti, or any other race! I'm asking you as a friend who cares that you're being hurt over a misunderstanding!"
In the end, she caved to the Traveller's request when she was unable to come up with a reason to counter his last argument.
(She blushed when the Traveller called her a friend. She never had anyone, let alone a human, declare to her that they are friends before. Does it mean that it was now okay to call him by his name instead of his title? Does that make her friends with his companion as well?)
"I don't mind if you call me Traveller or Aether but I do like it if my friends call me Aether."
However, even if she had agreed to return, she still doubted that she was still needed in Liyue Harbour.
(She had seen so much of both sides and no matter where and when, she would always be placed under higher scrutiny because of her blood.)
As they walked towards Liyue Harbour, Paimon filled the silence with descriptions of any landmarks that they had walked by while Ganyu would explain the history behind them. Aether would listen to them talk, occasionally asking questions to sate his curiosity. However, as they neared the city, Ganyu's pace slowed down with her unwillingness to enter the city. Aether kept up with her speed even as she slowed, walking beside and slightly behind her while Paimon fluttered near him.
He made no comment on it, even when Ganyu paused in front of the gates to the city before walking through, or even when she stopped in the middle of the street.
"Ganyu, what do you want?" Aether asked, his unseeing eyes watching her as she looked down at the stone path of Liyue streets.
"I...I don't want to go back yet. To face the truth, to have my hope broken once more," Ganyu whispered. She remembered the feelings of betrayal as the people she once trusted stabbed her in the back during the Archon War. This was no different from back then and nothing would have changed.
"We don't have to go back now, let's go somewhere else. Ganyu, where do you want to go?"
Ganyu led Aether and Paimon to the docks of Liyue Harbour, where the sound of the waves were drowned by the bustle of midday activities. She led them to the quietest part and Aether as well as Paimon followed silently behind her. She stopped at the end of the wooden dock, letting the sea breeze sweep over her.
"I once had a human 'friend'. We would chat at times when I was free and sometimes she would bring books to read out loud as I would work. She knew I was half-adeptus but she did not care. That was before I learned to hide what I am. Then one day, I found out that she only befriended me so she could boast that she knew an adeptus. Our friendship ended that day. I also had an adeptus 'friend' but once he found out that I was half-human, he looked down upon me. The same thing happened again as time went on and eventually, I just accepted that as long as people knew that I was half-human and half-adeptus, I could not be friends with them."
"Those people aren't your friends, they didn't deserve you."
"Thank you, Aether."
As Ganyu took in the smell of the ocean and the sound of the lapping waves, she could not help but feel nostalgic. It was as if she was standing at the shores of the newly created town. She could almost envision Morax standing beside her as the humans built their homes behind them. She missed this, she missed spending her time down at the docks to bask in the nostalgia. However, most of the time had been spent far from the sea and in the building where the constant flow of paperwork never ceased.
Ganyu was interrupted out of her musings by Uncle Tian who called out to her once he noticed her. She introduced the man to Aether and Paimon, who immediately recognised Aether as the hero who saved Liyue Harbour. He thanked Aether for saving Liyue Harbour, and at the same time, reached out to shake Aether's hand. Ganyu quickly intercepted the contact before Paimon could, and interrupted the man to ask about his daughter's wellbeing.
The elderly man, seemingly not noticing the abrupt subject change, went on a long speech about how he was worried about his daughter. Eventually, Uncle Tian left after having secured Ganyu's promise to check on his daughter at the Yuehai Pavilion, hobbling away with a smile and reassurance that the problem would be taken care of.
"Ganyu," Aether called out, his voice barely above a whisper. However, even over the loud hustle and bustle of the docks, Ganyu heard him.
"What is it, Aether?"
"Thanks...for stepping in just now."
As Ganyu led Aether and Paimon to the Yuehai Pavilion, Paimon was telling Ganyu stories about her and Aether's interactions with the various people of Liyue Harbour. However, Ganyu did not pay much attention to the fairy as she prayed to the Geo Archon that the other secretaries who had taken her place would not be at the location. She did not know what she would do if she encountered them.
(Would she flee as her qilin side would ask her to do or would she confront them as her human side begged her to do?)
Thankfully, the secretaries were not at the Yuehai Pavilion and Huixin, Uncle Tian's daughter, was easily found standing in front of the building. The girl immediately recognised Ganyu but did not recognise Aether or Paimon, leading Ganyu to introduce the two of them (as her friends and not as the heroes of Liyue). Huixin cried tears of relief when Ganyu told her that she came to help before explaining the problem.
"Huixin...Is she not a friend?" Aether after they left the vicinity of Yuehai Pavilion.
"She is...a colleague. We are not close to each other."
Ganyu had wanted Aether and Paimon to take a break and relax, seeing as this was her job and the two of them were not involved. However, Paimon wanted to know what the daily life of someone from the Liyue Qixing was like and Aether was content to follow along and help Ganyu out if he could. In the end, she caved to both of their requests to tag along, making Paimon cheer out loud and Aether laugh at his companion's antics.
The problem Huixin had was that the tax records from two business owners in Liyue had shown irregularities. She had been at a loss at how to investigate it until Ganyu came and took the case off her hands, much to her relief. It was then a simple matter to collect evidence that the two owners were so willingly able to provide against each other, both not knowing that they were headed for mutual destruction of their own making. Once the evidence had been gathered, they returned to Huixin who would take over the rest of the work.
"Remind me not to get on your bad side," Aether commented as they were waiting for the food to be served after Huixin insisted on treating all of them to a meal as thanks.
"Paimon agrees!"
As they ate, Huixin told a story, a story of how a girl looked up to a hardworking half-adeptus. Her father told her stories of the achievements that the half-adeptus had accomplished, even if she was looked down upon by her blood. Even if people tried to take her down with barbed words and insults, the half-adeptus stood firm and weathered them all. Even if she was always found alone with no one to help her, the half-adeptus would take on everything by herself.
"I always admired how gentle and reliable you are. I only decided to join the Yuehai Pavilion staff because I've always looked up to you. However, in reality, working at the Yuehai Pavilion turned out to be an arduous task. I can't compare myself to such an outstanding secretary like you. I often doubt myself as a result…"
Ganyu wanted to stop her, to tell her that she is a great person but her mouth remained closed. That was until she felt Aether tap her on the shoulder. She turned to glance at him and his unfocused eyes were looking at her. "Tell her," he whispered before turning his head away from her.
Ganyu turned back to look at Huixin whose head was down, looking at the partially empty plate in front of her. "Huixin," she called out to the woman, "I disagree. You're a great secretary in your own right."
"Thank you, that means a lot to me to hear that from you."
As they chatted over the meal, Ganyu no longer felt that she was unwanted and unneeded by the people of Liyue. Had Aether been right in that she had been mistaken when she saw the other secretaries doing her job? She had to know.
"I am ready to go back," Ganyu declared after they left the restaurant. Aether said nothing while Paimon cheered at her response.
"If you need more time, I can explain to them."
"No, I must return."
When Ganyu returned to where she had last seen the three secretaries, Baishi, Baiwen, and Baixiao, the three of them were sitting on the ground and leaning against each other, looking as if their very souls had been sucked out of them. All three of them cried tears of relief as they hugged Ganyu's legs when she approached them. Ganyu tried to calm them down while Aether stood behind her and Paimon was narrating everyone's actions. They had explained that they were only supposed to take over her duties until Ganyu returned from her break but they had underestimated the amount of workload that she had pleaded with her to rescue them from the neverending work and apologised for all their previous complaints. Ganyu giggled, relieved that she had misunderstood the entire time.
The time she spent with Aether and Paimon was one she cherished.
"Did you find the answer you wanted?" Aether asked, his unseeing eyes looking at her.
"Yes, I did. I am Ganyu of the Liyue Qixing. I am half-human and half-adeptus. I have signed a contract with Rex Lapis to serve the people of Liyue. I belong to both the people of Liyue Harbour and the adepti of Jueyun Karst. I know who I am and where I belong. I do not need the acknowledgement of others as long as I acknowledge myself. And more importantly..."
"More importantly?"
"I am friends with you. Thank you for helping me, Aether."