Well. I have been quite busy as of late. So, time to write again!
Time for reviews!
SkyChaser17: Wow! No text wall! Lol. Thanks for the compliments and help in writing!
GachaMHCreater: Go ahead, hahaha! I'd love to see it!
LilyMaja: Thanks for the praise, Lily!
: I'm glad you're exited! This chapter is for introducing Aether so here ya go! And not gonna lie, I'm curious as to how I'll bring it all together as well… Well, I'll deal with that when I get there, lol! Seriously though, I do have plans for it, so hope you'll like it when I release it!
That's it for reviews! Now it's time for the story! Tell me what you think, k?
Disclaimer: Genshin Impact belongs to Mihoyo. I only own characters of my own creation.
Chapter 6: The Nova
(In Inazuma)
Only recently did I defeat Ei, restoring the ambitions of every vision bearer in the nation. I was preparing to set off back to Liyue, since I heard the new Pyro Archon resides there. But then, amidst the peace and celebration for the end of the Vision Hunt Decree, something happened.
People fell unconscious in an instant. The ground began to quake, and the sky tore open. Buildings collapsed, and roads cracked. Reality was shattered, and rebuilt. Space and time bowed.
A being descended upon Teyvat. But they were no god. They were much, much more.
(Flashback)
"Paimon, hold on!"
I barely manage to hold my ground, the waves of pure power energy hammering against me.
"What could possibly produce such high levels of inertial energy!?" Sucrose says, trying to speak over the loud winds generated by the force.
"So windy!" Xiangling is on her knees, holding on to Guoba so he doesn't fly off. The ringing of her bell doesn't help the ear splitting noise.
The people have already been knocked out from the pressure, and seem unhurt, somehow.
The energy begins to condense, and a voice is heard.
"Nœväya…"
The power behind that single word they spoke was enough to knock everyone else out. But I heard the final word.
"Azadyme"
I awoke with a groan, slowly sitting up and opening my eyes.
Only to see a girl, smiling down at me.
I could best describe her as, "weird". She wears a tight, white, sleeveless shirt, black shorts similar to Hu Tao's, tight black boots that reach her upper thighs, and a black skirt with blue lines and symbols that I don't recognize. Her hair is bright blue with a streak of black, and only goes halfway down her neck. Her eyes are a vibrant mixture of blue and purple. Her hands and arms are covered by black gloves that end just before the shoulder. Her appearance is beyond beautiful. It can only be called perfect. However, that beauty is marred by the shackles she bears. One on each wrist and ankle, and one around her neck. They are thin and tight, and the chains are short and not connected to anything. They don't seem to bother her though, if her cheerful smile is anything to go by.
"Who-"
"Am I? I already told you, hehe~!"
I instantly know. It's impossible not to.
"Novaya Azadyme."
"Ehe, close enough, but you can just call me Nova. Now, aren't there more pressing matters to think about, hmm~?" She says motioning toward the cracked roads and toppled buildings.
Oh.
"Was it you who caused this?" I say in barely restrained anger.
She looks taken aback by my tone, then nervously laughs.
"Yes, but also no."
I raise an eyebrow at the conflicting statement. The mysterious girl sighs.
"Technically, yes. It was caused by my energy radiating out. It was too much for the people or world to handle. So to stop space from tearing and time from shattering, I wore these shackles. They stop my magical energy from releasing out into the world. They absorb it and infinitely store it. So it wasn't at all intentional! But enough about me! You must be worried about your friends, are you not?"
"Where are they?" I say, trying to intimidate the obviously more powerful being.
"Sheesh! Don't gotta get so angry~! No one was killed or hurt in any way, shape, or form! Your friends are at the edge of town, where everyone else is. They're all still unconscious though so it won't do much to visit them at the moment."
Thank the gods. But…
"What are you-"
"Gonna do about this mess?"
I nod, displeasure clearly shown at being interrupted so much.
"Well, why not just wait and see~?" She says, turning around to face the destruction.
The word she then spoke carried the same weight as her supposed name.
"Ałafiel"
In an instant, energy began emitting from the shackles, and time seemed to go in reverse. The buildings began rebuilding themselves. No, it's more like they are breaking in reverse. The clock ticked backwards, until everything was back to the way it was.
"Alright! Now..." she says, turning towards me.
The nervous and slightly desperate look in her deep eyes confuse me.
"Can I please travel with you!" She begs.
The look I saw earlier has been replaced with a hopeful smile. One I simply can't reject.
"…Sure."
(End of flashback)
So, here I am now sitting on the dock, waiting for Beidou to return, with three girls and a Paimon. At this point, I've given up on making sense of the situation and just accepted it as is. Ei seems to have just ignored it, so I will as well.
"Hey, is that the ship we're waiting on?" Nova asks, pointing at a ship in the distance while playing with something.
"Yep. Pretty soon we'll be back in Liyue." I say, ignoring the ball of immense elemental energy she is casually playing with.
"I have gathered all the materials I need for my experiments, so I will be in the pot for a while."
"Go ahead, Sucrose. It'll be a long trip back." I respond to the shy alchemist.
With that, she enters the pot to continue her experiments.
"I'll go as well. She's been wanting to test some previously untestable theories. Having infinite energy at her disposal will apparently allow her to test the effects of elemental energy on inertial energy, and if they really combine to form matter. She is really passionate about alchemy, and wants to test and learn everything. I myself am curious about a few of her suggestions."
"Yeah, she has been a big help along my journey, despite only coming along to find more materials for her alchemical experiments." I say, reminiscing about our adventures together.
"Well, see ya later!" she says as she is taken into the pot.
Xiangling comes up to me with a new dish she has made.
"Here! I call it, "Xinxing Zheli!"
I raise an eyebrow in suspicion.
"How did you make it?"
"I steamed some meat and fowl, put them in a boiling mixture of pyro and electro slime condensate, with some Geo slime concentrate to prevent them from reacting! Sucrose helped me with that one. Then I added a hint of sweet flower and Jueyun Chili for some spice! Last I took the meat and put it on a chop-stick to eat off of!
Beidou's ship comes to a stop. Xiangling, Paimon, and I board the ship, and converse with the crew as we begin to make our way back to Liyue.
A/N: So how'd you like the chapter? This WAS going to be a side story, but I decided to make it a part of the main story. Sorry that it's so short though. To make up for it, here's a bonus scene!
Also, in case you were curious about the name Xiangling gave to her recipe, it is edited from "Xīnxīng zài zhèlǐ", which according to Google translate is "Nova was here" in Chinese. It could be wrong though. I wouldn't know, cause I don't speak Chinese.
(Meanwhile, in the Serenitea Pot)
Explosions can be heard going off in the distance.
"How did this go so wrong…" the young alchemist says.
"Well, the creation of matter through elemental and inertial energy appears to release most of the initial reaction energy due to the matter being too unstable." I pointedly informed the girl. "How about you try changing the inertial to elemental energy ratio next time? I will say though, if it weren't for me, all that energy would have collapsed into a singularity."
I watch as the girl's face pales in realization.
"Why don't we put this experiment off for a while. I've received enough information from it already."
I laugh and fix the practically erased floating island.
"What an interesting individual." I think to myself.