Ok! Hello everyone! Um... so I don't know how to start this one. I have plans for future chapters. Not this one. I'm gonna need to come up with a logical way to explain the system of elemental magic in Genshin, keep it plausible, and make sure it's consistent with the story. This will be pain. So without further ado, let the head scratching and rough story writing begin! Pain Peko.
Now for reviews!
SkyChaser17: Yeah PM.
LilyMaja: Yeah, writing Yantao romance will a process of trial and error. I'm not a very, "romantic" person. But I am doing my best! And I'm glad you're interested! For your second review, I agree! Thanks for your patience!
GachaMHCreator: Glad you're exited! I will keep it up!
me: Thanks for the concern!
idk lol: When will I update? Right now!
Disclaimer: Genshin Impact belongs to Mihoyo. I only own characters of my own creation.
Chapter 5: Training
(In Zhongli's office)
"So why did you bring us here so early in the morning?" the young half adeptus asks, rubbing her weary eyes.
"Yeah, I'm fine with being up early, but four o'clock in the morning is pushing it..." the normally energetic girl states, yawning soon after.
"Well, I felt it wise for director Hu to begin training to control her elemental energy before calamity befalls Liyue."
That woke them up.
"Before you begin to panic, that is why we will be training you, Director."
"But, where would we train? It's not like I can just release all this energy here in the harbor," the girl says, confusion evident in her flowery eyes.
"Oh, don't worry. I have a place in mind. Though we must begin moving now, for our walk will be lengthy."
Both tired girls groan irritably.
(Near Stone Gate)
I'm currently walking with two deities, one being my best friend, and the other being... I don't know, some kind of mentor or something? Either way, the fact that I now consider this normal really reflects just how badly they have skewed my perception of normal.
I look to my left, seeing a cheerful girl reciting a poem she wrote in a singsong tone. That wouldn't be too weird, if the poem wasn't about a family of hilichurls killing each other out of jealousy.
Turning to my right, I see a tall, handsome man. His body is sturdy as the earth, eyes sharp as a blade, and his gait speaks of age and wisdom. He is, beyond any shadow of a doubt, a god.
I turn to look at Wuwang Hill, our destination. But I instead see Hu Tao, walking backwards with her face just inches from mine.
"What are you thinking about, Hmm~?"
I've gotten used to these types of tricks, so it doesn't scare, or even surprise me. However...
Oh Lord of Geo! She's so close!
I couldn't stop myself from blushing.
"I finally got you, hehe~!" the girl says, a smug smile on her face.
"Sure, whatever. You got me."
"I would still like an answer to my question, though."
"Nothing much. Just how you two have irreversibly screwed up my perception of normal."
She sticks her tongue out at me in a playful manner.
So immature for a goddess.
I chuckle at the thought.
The goddess in question turns to the tall man walking beside us.
"What are we training again?"
The man sighs, but I don't sense any annoyance in his tone.
"Today you will be training your control over your elemental energy. I would prefer you master it before you burn half the city down."
"Come on~! You know I wouldn't do that!"
"Not intentionally, no. But this is also for you to release your stored elemental energy. I know how taxing it must be on you to withhold such a large quantity. Until you have the control to properly release it into the world, rather than storing it, we will continue to do this once a week."
The girl sighs in resignation.
"I suppose you're right. And you are much more experienced in this than I could ever be."
Noticing our destination up ahead, I interrupt the two.
"Chin up, Taotao! We're almost there!"
A nice secluded area, that almost nobody comes to. A dark hill, southeast of Qingce Village. A place where lost spirits are said to roam. Wuwang Hill.
The three of us notice a group of treasure hoarders.
The grim reaper smiles in playful anticipation.
"Alright! Time to have some fun~!"
(4 minutes later)
"Please! We beg of you! Spare us from your wrath!"
The hoarders are shivering in fear before me. Wearing my Archon attire, I beat them all within an inch of their lives. They shake in terror at the blazing inferno swirling around them. I believe it is reasonable, considering they were disturbing a poor, young boy's grave.
"Such disrespect for the dead is unforgivable!"
"We're sorry, Lady Ereshkigal! It won't happen again! We promise!"
Ugh. Come on, have some dignity at least...
"I will spare you, but if I hear you are performing such acts again, then your own eternal slumber shall NOT be safe guarded by me."
The men freeze in terror.
"Now, leave before I change my mind."
They instantly scrambled to their feet and booked it.
If there is anything I have learned from being a goddess of Death, it's that other than death itself, and harm to their loved ones, the thing people fear the most, is not being able to Rest In Peace when they inevitably die. No one wishes for their own grave, the symbol of the life they've lived, to be defiled in such a manner. Even the people committing it.
I sigh in resignation, and carefully re-buried the coffin that held the unfortunate soul who died so young. I then get on my knees before his grave and clasp my hands together.
"I apologize for the inconvenience. In return, I give you my blessing, so that you may rest eternally peaceful."
The boy, who had become a lost spirit due to the hoarders thoughtlessness, gave me a nod of appreciation, and slowly dissipated, once more returning to his slumber.
(With a certain nearby god)
I watch as the girl once more sends off the lost soul to the afterlife. No doubts are in my mind about that boy's future. When it comes his turn in the cycle of reincarnation, with the blessing the goddess gave him today, he will become a hero. One that even further in the future, will most certainly be written down in legends. Should I live to see that day pass, I may yet tell the tale of this day.
The re-burial took about two hours. Much longer than the fighting.
I can't help but notice the grass, once charred to ash, now a lush green. The clouds, once white as snow, now grey and filled with the cracks of lightning. The air, once blisteringly hot, now cold as ice.
It seems that the others know of our location. That could be troublesome...
I then sense the presence of an old friend in Liyue Harbor.
So you too, are curious enough to meddle, Barbatos.
I look to the half adeptus beside me, shivering in the cold.
"What the... What kind of injurious weather is this!? It's c—cold... Achoo!"
"Don't worry, I can warm you up!" the goddess exclaims.
Releasing a bit of her energy, the area around us warms back to normal levels.
"Thanks!"
"We should head back. This weather will soon become unfit for our purposes," I say, beginning to walk back.
"But what about training?" the goddess asks, a cute pout adorning her face.
"I do believe you've had your share of training already, have you not?"
After recounting the day's events, the girl deflates a bit and complies.
"We also have a visitor to the harbor that I'm sure you'd be excited to meet."
"Really! Who?"
I chuckle in amusement. A rare occasion.
"You'll see."
(With a traveling bard)
"Ah, it's been a long while since I've last been to Liyue Harbor!"
As I look around, I take note of everything around. The Adventurer's Guild, the iron mongers, the Wanmin restaurant, the lanterns hanging from every building, the massive ships docked in the port, and the beautiful mountains behind it all. However...
I sense a change in the people. They believe that Morax has died. And there has yet to be a new Geo Archon to replace him. From the energy many are giving off, it's not difficult to understand just what is going on. In his absence, the people are beginning to think of the new Pyro Archon as their goddess.
I look to the bright sun in the sky, instantly knowing the time.
The balance of power in Liyue has been shifting ever since he faked his death. No longer in an age of gods and adepti. Instead, now an age of humanity and prosperity. I do wonder, though. How will this new goddess affect this transition?
As I enter Liuli Pavillion, the agreed meeting place, I see the man I've been looking for. Noticing no one around, I speak.
"It's been quite a while, hasn't it, Morax?"
"Yes, it has indeed, Barbatos."
I smile, and sit beside the old friend of mine.
"So, when will I meet them?" I say while shifting my gaze to the door.
I hear the wise god chuckle in amusement.
"All too soon, Barbatos, all too soon"
And with that, we wait. Then, ten minutes later, they arrive.
(In Æ%#ß&ã¿!)
As I watch on, enjoying the show playing out before me, I hear a familiar voice speak to me.
{Are you ever going to tell her who you really are?}
"Eventually, yes. After all, my time will come sometime soon."
{Truly? That is certainly news to me.}
I chuckle and look toward the far off world. A world outside the realm of existence. The first world ever created.
{I didn't think I'd ever see the day you of all people would lie down and die.}
"Heh, who said anything about dying? More of a retirement of sorts. Besides, if I died, who would be left to tell the tale of beginning, Hmm?"
{You mean that story only you know that you refuse to tell?}
I laugh loudly at the accusation.
"That's the one!"
{So what do you plan to do for this "retirement" of yours?}
"I will descend upon that world named Teyvat, and live among the people. After maintaining existence for nigh eternity, anything is entertaining."
{So what calamity will this spell for "All That Is" if it's protector goes on an indefinite vacation?}
"I have ensured that it can maintain itself. Only if a threat comes that is too great for it to handle will I intervene."
{What will you even do down there? Not like there's anything there that you can't do here.}
"A certain "Traveler" will be my main source of entertainment. I may join him in his quest to find his sister. With most of my power sealed of course!"
I hear the voice sigh in resignation.
{You never make any sense.}
"Of course not! I am a "Paradox" after all!"
With that, I prepare to secretly descend, to a nation called Inazuma, where another source of entertainment is awaiting me.
A/N: "Paradox Adventures" or whatever I will call it, may become an interlude series, where Paradox and the Traveler, as well as 2 others, not including Paimon, travel Inazuma, helping people. It might not though cause I wouldn't know how to write that just yet and this was just a spur of the moment decision to maybe add that. So I don't have any concrete plans in place for it, but do tell me if you would want to see it!
And please tell me what you think of the chapter! How do you like the information about Paradox? I hope you enjoyed, and that this slightly longer chapter makes up for the delay!