Since a young age, Kaedehara Kazuha had always been one with nature. He could often be found exploring forests, playing the grasswhistle or enjoying the cool breeze up in the canopy of his favorite maple tree. Being away from civilization allowed him to feel free, a place where he was freed from his duties, where he could immerse himself and become one with nature. He could become Kazuha, a free-spirited wanderer.
However, at the end of the day, Kazuha had to return to his clan and uphold the duties passed down to him.
(Was it strange then, that the day his clan fell to ruin became the happiest day of his life?)
On the day he was forced to give up his family land, Kazuha left to wander the many islands of Inazuma. His friend accompanied him on his journey without an end, despite his protests. Together, they walked on worn paths, climbed mountains and hills and drank in the sights and sounds that Inazuma had to offer.
"You didn't have to follow me."
"I didn't have to, but I wanted to."
After the Raiden Shogun ordered the Vision Hunt Decree, the wanderings became something of a necessity to avoid the Shogunate Army from taking away their Visions. His friend never complained, even when they had to spend nights awake to hide from patrols, even when they were forced to camp under rain when they could no longer enter towns. It was one of the sleepless nights that his friend asked about the Raiden's Shogun legendary sword art.
"The 'Musou no Hitotachi' is a sword art that is only used to administer divine punishment. It is the ultimate technique of the Raiden Shogun, the pinnacle of her skills. Once it has been unleashed, none can withstand its power. There is none who can stand up to this sword art and none who dare to stand before it."
"That's not right."
"What do you mean?"
"There will always be those who dare to brave the lightning's glow."
The question had been harmless, an inquiry to satisfy the curious mind. And yet, he could never shake off the premonition he felt until the day he found out that his friend called for a duel before the throne.
Kazuha ran as fast as he could, even using his Vision to boost his speed with the wind. However, it was too late. He watched as the Raiden Shogun unleashed her ultimate technique on his friend. He watched his friend fall, the revolting scent of burned flesh filling the air. He watched as his friend's Vision was thrown into the air, the colour fading into dull grey, a sign of the death of its owner. He watched as the body hit the ground, the Raiden Shogun staring coldly at it.
Without thinking, he leaped forward, using the power of his Anemo Vision to snatch the dead Vision before fleeing. As he continued to run, the words 'too late' echoed in his mind. He continued to run, even when his tears had dried up, even when his body felt numb, even when the moon reached its zenith. He ran and never looked back.
He never stopped moving after that, having a need to evade bounty hunters along with soldiers. Once rumors of a resistance surfaced, he fled to the beginnings of the Resistance Army where he could finally take a breather. It was still not a place where he could rest however, not when the Shogunate Army was still on his tail. However, for the moment, he could sit down and breathe.
(And at the corner of the camp, shrouded in shadow where no one goes, he could finally grieve.)
In his friend's death, he found that he did not hate the Raiden Shogun for what she did to his friend but he despised what she had brought to the people of Inazuma that drove his friend to do what he did. He could accept his friend's death for he chose to challenge the Raiden Shogun. However, Kazuha could never forgive the Vision Hunt Decree that forced his friend to challenge the Raiden Shogun. It was the desperation of the people that sent his friend to his death. After all, what good is a lord who ignores the pleas of their people?
However, there were many pressing problems right now. Where can he go now if the entirety of Inazuma was no longer safe for him? What should he do now?
"I thank you for your assistance, your excellency, but I must depart. I must leave Inazuma before the storm that surrounds the region grows."
"Then I shall wish you well on your journey. May we meet again in better times."
After leaving the Resistance Army, Kazuha made his way to the port of Ritou. Had he had any choice in the matter, he would never have headed for Ritou. However, it was the only functioning port that still allowed ships from outside of Inazuma to dock and it was his only way out of this country. His journey was plagued with ambushes day and night. He fought bounty hunters and Vision hunters and for each battle he fought, he left behind their bodies before vanishing away with the wind. He could no longer afford to stay his blade from his opponent, not when they stood in his path for freedom.
"It was not the first time I had killed someone. I do not regret it, they were honorable and I respect them as a fellow user of the blade. I regret, however, that the price of my freedom was steep."
He managed to sneak into Ritou under the cover of night but not even the shadows could cover his presence for long. He was almost found by a patrolling guard, only to be saved by a woman in red. Once he realised that the woman captained a ship, he pleaded with her on his knees to help him flee the country. The woman readily agreed, despite protests from her second. She hauled him up to his feet and led him to her ship. Once the port was but a speck in the distance, the woman introduced herself as Captain Beidou of the Crux Fleet. And it was here that Kazuha found a place where he could belong.
"I owe Beidou my life. She took me in when I fled from Inazuma and gave me the courage to return there at the most difficult time of my life. She is a comrade in whom I and all the other sailors can place our trust."
Kazuha spent most of the days on the foreign sea in relative solitude. The ship crew had attempted to talk to him but long silence usually filled the one-sided conversation. Do they know that by harbouring him, everyone on this ship is condemned to death should the authorities in Inazuma find out? Perhaps he should leave on the next land the ship docks at, become the wind, wandering forever on the land. However, when the ship docked at Liyue Harbour, he found that he could not bring himself to leave. He found that he did not want to leave.
"Wandering the world does not mean you have to give up the place that you belong. It just means that you have a place to return to."
"And you? Does a 'traveller' like you have a place to return to?"
"Not a place but a person. Though, it might be awhile before I can return."
(In the end he stayed not because he owed them a debt but because he did not want to be alone again.)
As time went by, he found his gaze drawn back in the direction of Inazuma. How long has it been since he last set foot on Inazuma? How are the people managing under the Vision Hunt Decree? How many Visions had been taken already? And when his thoughts inevitably drift to the empty husk of his friend's Vision, he would force himself to look away from his homeland.
(Why did it feel like the empty Vision was getting heavier every day?)
Then came the rumors of a strange and mysterious person. He had defeated one of the Four Winds in Mondstadt, saving the city. He had stopped a god, saving Liyue from its wrath. His real name was not mentioned in those tales, only his moniker of 'Traveller' was ever spoken in them. The more Kazuha heard of his exploits, the harder it was to believe that it was true.
"The 'Traveller' huh? Sounds like an interesting fellow. I wonder…" Beidou said, her words trailing off as her mind started scheming. At her side, Kazuha sighed and offered a prayer to the Traveller. After all, once Captain Beidou had decided on something, there was no stopping her.
A few days prior to his first meeting with the Traveller, Kazuha had been listening to Beidou plan the Crux Clash, a martial arts tournament that Beidou hosted often. His thoughts drifted to the empty Vision weighing down on his body until his hands moved to remove the object from its confines. He gazed at it, the center grey and dull. He could almost imagine the purple glow and the symbol of Electro behind the glass surface. If only he could see the Vision alive once more…but how is a person chosen to be granted a Vision? His hand clenched tightly around the dead Vision and a flash of idea went through his mind.
"Kazuha, are you sure?"
"I am. Captain Beidou, this Vision, please use this as the prize for the Crux Clash. The only request I have is that I wish to see it glow again."
On the day of the Crux Clash, Kazuha had been surprised when he heard that the legendary Traveller would be taking part.
(A small part of him had expected it. After all, nothing escapes Beidou once she has set her eyes on it.)
He found the Traveller and his floating companion lost at the edge of Guyun Stone Forest, near the venue of the Crux Clash, when he took a stroll on his break. The Traveller had been arguing with his companion, surrounded by the broken pieces of several Ruin Guards all around him. The two of them were oblivious to Kazuha's arrival, too focused on their argument to notice his presence.
"Paimon, are you sure you didn't get us lost again?"
"Paimon's not lost!"
"Sure, the last time you said that, we found ourselves on the opposite end of our destination!"
He cleared his throat, drawing the two's attention. He introduced himself and led them to the location of the Crux Clash, explaining that Captain Beidou had been expecting them. As they walked, Kazuha stuck close to the Traveller. He scented the air, immediately noticing something peculiar about the Traveller and his companion. He does not carry the scent of Teyvat.
Being part of a ship's crew, Kazuha had met many people of different walks of life. However, the one thing that they all shared was the scent of their origin. Everyone had a smell that originated from the country they were born in. The Traveller however, had a scent that he did not recognise. It was not the fresh spring breeze of Mondstadt, the hardened soil of Liyue, the cackling lightning of Inazuma, the arid trees of Sumeru, the pure water of Fontaine, the burnt soot of Natlan, or the frosty snow of Snezhnaya. The Traveller and his companion originated from a world beyond Teyvat, beyond the star-filled skies.
"You two give off not only the essence of wind and earth, but also of... yes... the stars…"
The two of them were left confused by Kazuha's statement and the latter revealed nothing else despite multiple inquiries from the Traveller's companion. By the time they reached the location, the Traveller's companion was frustrated at Kazuha's nonanswers while the Traveller tried to get his tiny raging companion off Kazuha.
The Captain took over in helping the Traveller register for the Crux Clash, leaving Kazuha to wander around until the start of the tournament. As he walked, Kazuha's thoughts were drawn back to the Traveller. For a legendary hero, he looked so…young.
(He remembered his friend who tried to be a hero. He remembered how young his friend had been when he fell to the blade.)
"War doesn't have an age limit. Death doesn't care how old you are. However, you were wrong to assume my age."
"Can you fault me for that?"
"Not really."
By the time he returned to the arena, the tournament had already begun and the Traveller was fighting his first opponent. He made his way to stand beside Captain Beidou to watch the battle and he was unsurprised to find that the Traveller was very experienced in combat. However, the fighting style was not one that he recognised. The Traveller won the first bout with ease and his companion cheered as she floated over to his side. The first round ended without much fanfare and the arena was cleaned to prepare for the next round.
As Kazuha looked back on the brief swordsmanship displayed by the Traveller, he could not help but notice that there was something off with the fighting style. Was it the fact that he would pause before he attacked or the fact that his eyes do not follow his opponent all the time?
In the end, his curiosity made him seek out the Traveller who had been nudged up to the semi-finals, giving him plenty of free time. He found the Traveller at the edge of the island, far away from any prying eyes and ears, chatting with his companion. He had not meant to eavesdrop but their voices were loud against the soft backdrop of the ocean.
"Paimon wonders what the Statue of the Seven in Inazuma will give to your Elemental Sight. Maybe you can shoot fire from your eyes!"
"Paimon," the Traveller sighed deeply, as if this was not the first time he has had this conversation with his companion, "It's Elemental Sight, it's not a weapon, it just helps me see."
"Well Paimon hopes that it will cure your blindness!"
"I hope so too…"
Kazuha paused in his tracks, his eyes widening at the realisation of what the Traveller's companion had said. The Traveller was competing with a major physical disability that was easily recognisable and yet, no one had noticed. It was simply amazing and Kazuha was in awe at the Traveller's skill. But why hide it? Was it because of prejudice? Or was it because he simply did not wish to be pitied?
"It's not any of that. Embarrassingly enough, it's because the topic never came up. It's not like I go up to every person I meet and go, 'hey, I'm the Traveller and I'm blind.' My Elemental Sight makes up for my loss of sight and I've gotten used to it that I don't find my disability to be something important to say. Sometimes, I forget that it doesn't look very obvious."
In the end, Kazuha turned around and returned to the event venue without talking to the Traveller. And as he watched the Traveller fight in the semi-finals, he wondered if perhaps the Traveller's hardship from living with his disability could become the catalyst to awaken the Vision.
(And when he noticed a thief sneaking away with the empty Vision, a plan came to mind.)
Once the tournament had been suspended at the discovery of the thievery, Kazuha approached Captain Beidou who was speculating with the Traveller and his companion on where the thief could have fled to. The trail left behind by the thief was still fresh on the wind, making it easy for him to seek them out any time he wanted to.
"You always did have the flair for the dramatics," his friend always said after every stunt Kazuha had pulled.
(He was slightly disappointed that the thief did not bother concealing his escape better. There were even footprints left behind, what an amateur!)
Kazuha was left to lead the Traveller to the thief's location while Captain Beidou went to explain to everyone else attending the event what had transpired. As they hurried along, following the trail left behind. The wind came at Kazuha's call, forming a wind current to aid in their hunt. The party took flight and landed before a group of Treasure Hoarders. As the Traveller was about to pull his blade, Kazuha unsheathed his and within a blink of an eye, a thousand slashes were delivered unto the group. Their enemies fell, their faces shifting from surprise to terror. A few of them fell unconscious, either from the pain or terror. Most were groaning in pain but none of them tried to get up or escape.
When Kazuha sneaked a peek at the Traveller, he smiled when he found the Traveller sporting a confused expression compared to his companion's wide-eyed expression of surprise.
"What did you do? They were all 'haah!' and you were like 'hmph' and suddenly you whipped out your sword and bam! Everyone's on the ground!" the Traveller's companion exclaimed, her hands gesturing as she tried to make sense of what happened.
"Paimon, do we have to talk about context again?" the Traveller asked as he put away his sword.
Kazuha slowly walked over to the thief, flipping the man over with his foot. He bent down to snatch the black box out of the man's hand, opening it to find his late friend's Vision inside.
(The grey remained lifeless as ever. Was it possible for his heart to feel emptier than it was before?)
The cold blade in his hand was lifted and pointed at the thief. Perhaps if a person were to face something akin to a life or death situation, they would be granted a Vision. However, before Kazuha could proceed, the Traveller stopped him.
"You don't have to go any further, they've already given up," the Traveller said, his hand firmly gripping Kazuha's sword arm.
In the end, Kazuha let the Treasure Hoarders go. He would not have killed them, not all of them anyway. There was no honor in killing an unarmed opponent, especially those pleading for their lives to be spared.
As soon as all the Treasure Hoarders had left, Kazuha was prepared to return to the Crux. He wondered if it was impossible to reawaken his late friend's Vision or perhaps it has to be the right person, even if the Vision would have to wait years until it would finally meet that person.
"That was a Vision right? The thing in the box? I know Beidou said that the prize is a Vision but she never showed the Vision to me. It has a nice purple but I think it's too dull, like it's dead. It's an Electro Vision, right?"
The Traveller could see the Vision? The purple glow behind the glass exterior that he desired to see once more? The Traveller could see it?
"Purple? All Paimon can see is grey."
Was the answer he sought the Traveller the entire time?
"It's an Electro Vision. It once… belonged to my friend. Traveller, will you listen to a story?"
"We have time," the Traveller answered and his companion nodded in agreement.
"The story begins with an old friend…"
At the end of the story, the Traveller's companion was crying while the Traveller looked thoughtful.
"Kazuha, when was the last time you moved from one place?"
When has he? Though he was a wanderer, always fated to move wherever and whenever. He remained on the Crux, not wanting to venture too far out into the foreign lands where the ship would dock. The whole world to wander in and yet, he had been to only a fraction of that.
"You should visit Mondstadt. There's a bard dressed in green who would appreciate another fellow free spirit like you."
Mondstadt…he wanted to go there one day after leaving Inazuma, but not when he was on the run from his own country.
"I still have things I must see through but once that is done, I wish to wander the world again," Kazuha said, drawing a smile from the Traveller.
"Then take this," the Traveller said as he held out a strange-looking plaque to Kazuha. "It will let you enter my Serenitea Pot, my adepti-created realm, anytime you want and when you leave, it puts you back where you were when you use it. Once you start your wanderings again, this would be useful to you."
Does the Traveller even know what he had just given to him? He literally gave Kazuha the keys to the door of his house!
"Why?" Kazuha asked, the wooden plaque still resting on the palm of his hand.
"It just seemed like you needed it. It might not be now or maybe my feeling is wrong but just take it for now, okay?"
His fingers wrapped around the plaque, its weight strangely heavy in his hand but his heart felt lighter at the thought of having a place to rest his body and mind.
And the day he finally visited the Traveller's home, he immersed himself in nature, sleeping under the shadows of the many trees littered in the realm. He could imagine his friend lying down beside him, as sunlight filtered through the leaves above them. The few cats that wandered in the realm would come up to him and sleep on top of him, similar to the cat that his friend had owned. In the realm, he could be whoever he wanted to be. In the realm, he was not a wanted fugitive from Inazuma, he was not the strange quiet guy of the Crux fleet. In the realm, he was just Kazuha.
And more importantly, in this realm, he no longer had to look back at his past, his mistakes, and his failures. He no longer had to look at the country he loved, the country that took his best friend away from him, the country he had to flee from. In some way, he was free and he could finally take the first step to move on.