A/N: Hi, this is my first Genshin Impact story. I was scrolling through the Travel Log in the Archive and I noticed that it didn't record our confrontation with the Unknown God, and then the idea for the story just popped up in my head. Kinda weird, like how Pac-Man derived from a pizza without a slice. Though it won't be as great as Pac-Man.
Also, I won't be giving the Unknown God the "Asmoday" name or whatever until her identity is actually confirmed. Going along with those theories are kinda dumb when writing up a story since future readers will be like: "Wtf?"
And I already have 3 chapters written up to post.
Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy!
Where am I?
All around him, there was nothing but pillar constructs that towered far above the clouds beneath. The footing was like a pathway that seemed to extend forever, and as he looked further out, he saw that the pillar constructs were actually encased by a much larger ring. It looked as if he was in heaven, but that was probably not the case.
In front of him, he saw a floating woman with hair that was as white, if not, whiter than snow. Her clothes were extremely unique, seemingly glowing with an otherworldly sense.
She was the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles.
Of course, he didn't know that yet.
But one thing he learned was that she could control cubes, a strange power.
She did that by simply extending the palm of her hand outwards as a stream of blood-red cubes flowed forth from the unknown, and shot towards a blonde-haired boy with golden wings, who couldn't find any way to dodge it.
And so, he was encased in it. His powers flickering as the cubes seemed to have some sort of sealing effect.
"Wait! Give me my sister back!" the boy yelled in desperation, caring more about his sibling than his current state.
Then the boy was sealed away.
After the boy had been stripped of his powers and sealed away by the cubes, the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles turned around and glared down at the human man, him, beneath her.
"And once more, another outlander appears. State your business."
Woah, those are some... unique eyes.
Though he shouldn't be the one to talk either.
He, who had white hair, piercing silver eyes, and wore a formal suit and tie, could only scratch the back of his head in confusion.
I suppose I should answer her. Now's not the time to think about her eyes.
"So, you see, I think I just so happened to take a wrong turn while driving-"
"Enough with the jokes," the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles interrupted with narrowed eyes to which he could only hold his hands up in defeat.
Ah, shit. The truth it is, then.
"I apologize, but, to tell the truth, I have no business here. In fact, I don't even know how I got here."
The Sustainer of Heavenly Principles didn't detect a single lie from his explanation. Descending, she landed gracefully in front of him. However, that only served to strain her neck since she had to look up due to their massive differences in height.
She's much shorter than I expected. Well, not like it'd make any difference if she was a bit taller. I do stand at a height of 7'0...
"And so, you're telling me," she started, "you somehow gained access to this realm?"
Realm? I assume so.
He couldn't help but feel the pressure press down on him from the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles' intense gaze. One wrong answer, and he'll end up with the same fate as the blonde-haired boy from earlier.
He nodded his head, "Yes, that would indeed be correct."
She didn't say anything at all; she just simply stared into his eyes. It felt like she was staring directly into his soul to see if she could detect a lie of any form, dissecting him piece by piece. Cell by cell, atom by atom.
It truly made him question as to which god he had pissed off in order to make them bring him here.
"You are quite the human, set apart from the usual arrogation of mankind," she finally spoke after minutes of staring into his soul.
Turning around, she folded her arms and looked down past the clouds below.
Arrogation of mankind? What is she? Some sort of god?
Even so, she seemed to have deemed his presence tolerable enough to the point of not shoving him inside some blood-red cube. He felt quite good about himself, being told that he was unique, albeit with a different play on words.
"So-"
"What is your name, human?" she interrupted him.
To say the least, he was pretty surprised at being interrupted out of nowhere, but he composed himself in an instant, and responded to her question.
"My name..." he started.
Huh... what was my name again?
His eyes widened, "I... can't remember my name."
The Sustainer of Heavenly Principles simply gave a quiet "hmph" as she unfolded her arms and turned around to face him.
"I see, the loss of your name has something to do with your abrupt appearance in this realm."
"Is that so...?" he muttered, now sorting through his memories to see if he could recall any with his name being mentioned.
"There is no point in scouring what remains of your memories. They'll be nothing but fragments soon enough. With the loss of your name follows the loss of your former life."
She saw right through him, and her words struck him hard.
A pang was felt in his heart as he winced, gripping the left-side of his chest.
Why does it hurt so much?
"Oh, did that strike something in you?" she questioned.
"Yeah, it felt like something was clenching my heart," he answered with a slight sneer, but the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles didn't take it personally.
"With time, you will no longer feel it," she stated as a fact.
"What ab-"
"And from today onwards, it is your duty to create a new identity for yourself."
Interrupted again... but she does have a point.
He clenched his teeth and didn't respond to her. He simply stood there in silence as the grip on his chest loosened, until the hand he had used eventually fell back down to his side.
The Sustainer of Heavenly Principles continued staring at him without making a single move. She was waiting for a response, and she knew that he was formulating one in his head.
What should I do? Do I do as she says? That seems to be the most logical answer because who knows what'll happen if I refuse to create a new identity for myself?
He grit his teeth in frustration.
My memories are fading by the second, but even so, I don't trust myself on creating a new identity even in such an urgent situation, I'm only 18! I feel like I'd hate it even more than my former one.
But...
What if I wished for her to give me one?
Finally, after about an hour of pure silence, he made his decision.
"I wish for you to give me a new identity."
She closed her eyes in thought.
"Indeed, you are quite a unique human," she replied.
Holding her hand out, a white cube appeared in the palm of her hand that reflected his self-image vividly.
"From now on, you will be known as White," she held the cube out to him, "Take it."
Without any hesitation in his movements, the now named White, stepped forward and grabbed the white cube from her hand.
The moment he took hold of the cube, it was instantly absorbed into his body and he felt an unknown power flowing through him. It made him feel inhuman. Looking down, he saw that the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles had already turned her back towards him and was looking back down past the clouds.
I believe... I made the right decision.
Finally, it was then, that he realized that he had not learned of her identity yet.
"May I ask what your name is?" White inquired, stepping forward to stand beside her.
She gave him a sidelong glance before answering.
"I am the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles. Refer to me as that."
"I see, Sustainer of Heavenly Principles, huh..." White muttered, thinking back to what he saw earlier.
Indeed, it did fit her.
And it sounded oddly familiar.
White and the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles passed the time by in silence.
The Sustainer of Heavenly Principles had just been staring down past the clouds doing absolutely nothing, in fact, she hadn't even moved a single inch. She had been as still as a statue the entire time. Whereas White had moved back and forth quite often to explore the place while summoning the white cube in his hand to toss up and down occasionally.
They traded no words, for they had no need to.
But even so, it didn't stop the questions from piling up in White's head.
He was extremely curious about where he ended up at.
Was he in a different world? Was this heaven? Why is it only just the two of them up here? Is he even human still?
He had such questions, but if he were to ask, he felt like he'd be reprimanded. After all, the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles did have quite the serious personality from what he saw so far. But even so, if he were able to ask, which order should he ask them in?
With such thoughts, he began pacing faster, now twirling the cube between his fingers. One thing he learned was that he was able to adjust the size of it at will, and it appeared to be extremely similar to the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles' powers, at least from what he saw earlier.
Speaking of her, he was actually thinking of shortening her title so that it wouldn't be such a mouthful every time. Maybe "Sustainer" would be quite fitting, but once again, with her personality, he wouldn't know how she'd react to it.
"You seem to be in deep thought. Speak what's on your mind, White."
The Sustainer of Heavenly Principles suddenly spoke up, breaking the long silence that permeated the area.
Stopping in his tracks, White let out a quiet sigh before replying.
"I was just sorting through all the questions I had in mind."
"That is to be expected."
"Do you mind if I ask?"
"So long as it's within my range of power."
Hearing that response, White had even more questions. That meant that certain questions were unable to be answered, however, he didn't know which ones. So he'll have to take his shots.
Clearing his throat, he dispersed the cube in his hand and shot forth his first question.
"Is this heaven?"
"No, it is not," she did not go in-depth with her answer.
"Were you the one who brought me here?"
"I was not the one to do so."
Well, that's one of his pet peeves answered then.
"Why is it just the two of us up here? Isn't there anyone else?" he walked forward to stand beside her.
"I will not answer that question."
Seems that would be one of the questions she wouldn't answer. That actually came as a surprise to White. This place apparently had some form of value.
"What is this world called?" he moved onto the next question.
In response to his answer, the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles pointed down.
Following where she was pointing at with his eyes, White looked down past the parted clouds. Down below was a massive heap of land, a continent.
"Teyvat."
Is what she simply said.
White couldn't tell if it was the name of the world or the name of the enormous heap of land beneath them. However, he ended up learning something about her that will most definitely come back to annoy him in the future: She was good at making him have more questions than ever before.
Teyvat also sounds really familiar, too...
Even so, he continued shooting more questions her way.
"Can you teach me more about this world?"
"Learn for yourself," she answered instantly, eyes drifting down to his hand that had held the white cube.
Where is she looking? Oh...
Summoning the white cube, White began observing it. He wondered if it could truly teach him about the world he was in. After all, it was just a cube. What was a cube gonna help with anyways in terms of knowledge?
The cube craves violence, not knowledge.
He came to this conclusion after recalling the memory of the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles' cubes eat up some poor blonde-haired boy.
"You are doubting what my power can do for you."
She's been on point with her assumptions every time so far. I'm beginning to think she can read minds.
White could only respond with a small cough.
"I could always take it back from you."
"No! I'm good, I'd like to keep it, thanks..." White reacted reflexively as he clutched the cube close to his chest.
Wait, why'd I give such a strong reaction?
However, he ended up dropping the cube since he swore he saw the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles' lips curl upwards, albeit very slightly. By slight, maybe barely a centimeter.
"Compose yourself."
"I apologize. I just thought I saw something for a second there," he replied, the cube teleporting back into the palm of his hand.
The Sustainer of Heavenly Principles didn't ask what it was that he thought he saw, she simply went back on topic.
"Are there any more questions."
White nodded.
"Will you teach me how to use your powers?"
"It is only natural for me to do so."
White's eyes seemed to have sparkled for a bit before he recomposed himself with a small cough.
"Ehem, are you a god?"
"I am but one of many."
Well, that was quite a surprise.
So there's more than just one god here in this world? Interesting. Now, I'll ask my final question. One that's been plaguing me since I received this power.
"Final question: Am I still human?"
This time, he wasn't seeing things as the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles' lips curled upwards. It wasn't a friendly kind, it was the kind that sent chills down people's spines.
She also didn't hesitate to answer.
"The moment you absorbed that cube, you ceased being human."
Hearing her answer, White's expression simply remained unfazed as he gazed down at the palm of his hand.
Strange. You'd think I'd feel something inside me stir at the revelation of me no longer being human. But all I feel is nothing.
"This is why you were a unique one," the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles spoke, catching White's attention, "Your attachment to your humanity was quite non-existent. It seemed as if it was never there in the first place. If it were any other human who was granted the same opportunity you had, they would have second thoughts regardless of their character."
White diverted his gaze to her beautiful face.
"But you, you had no such thoughts."
A black cube appeared in the palm of her hand as she fiddled with it, much like how he did earlier. He also took note of how she could summon a variety of different colors.
"A human who wishes not to be human. That was your deepest desire. A desire so deep you discarded all longing that you held towards your friends and loved ones."
White didn't know how to respond. The only thing he could do was search through his rapidly fading memories and recall how he felt. That was the only way to prove whether if she was right or wrong.
And unfortunately, she was spot-on.
"Oh, someone jumped off the bridge. What a shame. But with their body on the highway, people will be late to work."
"We are slaves to our country. There is no freedom."
"Have you ever thought about what the world would be like if money and politics didn't exist? It's a shame that these are needed for a balance."
"Humans are diverse. Sometimes I think about how I would be if I weren't one."
"We treat our pets so well because they're adorable, right? But it's also because they can live a life that we cannot."
"I mean, you could always resort to crime if you truly wish to be free."
"Breaking news, the United States of America has issued nuclear warfare on..."
"Have you ever envied a person for being able to die?"
"You're hyperventilating."
The Sustainer of Heavenly Principles' voice dragged him away from his dark, fading, memories.
His heart was beating at a rapid pace as he felt lightheaded. Clenching his fists tightly, he took in a deep breath to calm himself down.
"You're right," he started, "That is my deepest desire. The desire to not be human."
Because I can't accept the harsh reality of things.
The Sustainer of Heavenly Principles waited patiently for him to continue.
"My world was bad. Absolute shit. The moment I turned of age, I experienced everything about it in one go. It formed the desire within me and it continued to grow rapidly from there."
White took another deep breath as he laughed despairingly in his head.
God, the more I say, the more I realize how childish and whiny I sound.
"Money was a source of happiness. It's all people wanted. In society, money was everything. But even with money, people still found something to despair over."
He summoned the white cube in his hand to fiddle with.
"Much of the world's economy went into developing weapons to kill other humans. One drop of a nuclear bomb could spell the end of all life," he wrapped it up there with a sigh.
Any more, and he'd start trailing off. He just felt so stupid about trying to justify why his world was bad. It just was. That's all there is to it.
But of course there will always be times where you will think it's good, at least for a short while.
After hearing his short story, the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles could only scoff as she went back to what she was doing before.
"The arrogation of mankind knows no limits, no matter the universe."
All White could do was stare at her back, which seemed to grow bigger as he realized the difference between their statuses.
"I will teach you the ways of the Heavenly Principles, and you will serve judgment firsthand."
She turned around to face him, eyes narrowed.
"Do you oblige?"
Do I oblige? If it allows me to escape the harsh truth of reality, then of course I oblige!
White knelt down and lowered his head without hesitation.
"I humbly oblige to this offer."
A massive red portal spawned behind him as the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles strode past, entering the portal with him in tow.
"You will not remember this day, but fear not, for I will remember it for you. For the day when you lose all of your memories, and are truly anew."
Woahh... that sounded edgy but kinda cool.
Many decades had passed since then, but five years into training, a realization dawned on White.
Wait a minute, aren't I in the world of Genshin Impact? And I'm here in Celestia training...
The angsty mood from years prior had all but disappeared with a single thought. Not like he remembered all the events that lead up to his current position in the first place.
And of course, his memories of his world and previous life disappeared along with it too, but the world of Genshin Impact was one that had found its way back to him. His theory for that was that since he was now in the actual world itself, it counted as a native memory.
So, what now? Am I Aether and Lumine's main enemy?
He wasn't very good at realizing situations he was in until it was too late. Though, it's not like he cared in the first place.
Ehe.
"Get back to training."
"Yes, ma'am."
I also have to uphold the Heavenly Principles, too.
How amusing.
A/N: Well, that's chapter 1 of 3 done. Honestly, I'm never too good at writing the introduction parts for stories. It all starts to flow for me when the story finally gets rolling. Like, I just wanna jump into it. Comparing this to chapter 2 is like heaven and earth in my opinion.
Oh, and I'm 3 weeks away from hitting AR60. I'm always broke on mora so it'll help a tiny bit at least...
