A/N: I'm losing my mind with these notifications being down.
Had to write this, Genshin ideas were rampaging out of control, keep myself from going crazy.
This way I can at least keep them contained and see what everyone likes, doesn't like that sort of thing.
Can anyone see this? First and foremost! For those of you who can, use the fanfiction app to read my stories. That version seems to be fixed at least; those who follow me are getting notifications over there when I update. Its the desktop version that's screwed up Site isn't fully fixed -web and email aren't getting notifications- but its functional enough for me to write, albeit in a reduced capacity.
I can still see them on the review page- eventually- without me receiving email notifications. just a roundabout way of looking for them. Let the fine folks of the site know through the fiction press twitter and the support email and hopefully we'll have this fixed by the end of the week.
Until this is, mind, my ability to write WILL be impacted, but I'll try. Update schedule will be a bit weird until the site gives us our email notifications back.
As ever, I own no quotes, references, themes, or memes. Not a wit or a one!
They're tributes to legends far greater than little old me.
Here we go.
"May you find fortune in every corner."
May you find favor in every face.
May you find faith."
~A blessing.
With Great Vision
"Prove me wrong, Traveler from the Leaf."
Those words were all he heard; then there was light.
Naruto awoke with a start, spitting and spluttering. "Who in the blue hell said that...?"
Eyes stinging, mouth dry, skull throbbing, he picked up the tattered threads of his thoughts, squinted at the sky and tried to understand what had just happened. What might've brought him here. Something. Anything at all beyond the deep-rooted pain in his right arm and shoulder, and the deep-seated soreness pervading every inch of his body.
.
..
...the sapphire sky was silent; the white clouds stoic. Heaven held no answers for him.
No, no, no, wait. That wasn't quite right. It was coming back to him now.
He remembered...pieces.
There had been an encounter. He was lost, trying to leave. Go somewhere-home. Was that it?
A woman with white hair and golden eyes had blocked him; barred his path. He remembered saying something to her, if not necessarily the words. The annoyed curl of her lips as she scowled at him and said...something back. He couldn't recall it. Whatever it was must've irked her; because his next coherent memory involved her lopping his arm off and running him through as he slammed a rasengan into her chest.
He saw it clear as day when he closed his eyes.
Blood, the surprise in her eyes, the look of complete and utter shock as he choked on his own blood.
There had been a fight. He remembered that. Just not the outcome. He'd wounded her. She'd wounded him in return.
He'd fallen to earth, dragging her with him and...oh.
He rolled over and caught sight of himself in a nearby puddle.
What he saw there stilled his heart. That...that couldn't be right. What in blazes was this?
His once brilliant blue eyes were now a startling shade of gold, his blond hair threaded through with streaks of white. Even his face seemed leaner somehow, taut, more defined. He didn't feel any weaker; on the contrary, he'd never felt better; like he'd just awoken from a long nap. Why? Something gnawed at the back of his brain, a half forgotten thought he couldn't quite remember.
Damnitall, his right arm really hurt right now.
Against his better judgement, he looked.
"My arm...
...was just fine. A bit paler than he remembered, but clearly still there.
But that didn't make any sense. He remembered losing it.
Yet there it was.
He clenched his fingers into a fist and found that it responded smoothly enough. Sore perhaps, but at least he still had full range of motion. Definitely suspicious.
An awful thought occurred to him. "Kurama?"
"Bleurgh." A strangled groan answered his call. "Wake me up when everything stops spinning."
Well, he'd find no answers there for the moment.
Grunting, he managed to right himself with a supreme effort of will. Everything ached; from his head down to his toes.
He soon saw why. His clothes were ruined; his once proud orange-on-black jumpsuit reduced to tattered rags barely preserving his decency. He'd even lost his sandals, leaving him barefoot. Further inspection revealed his surroundings to him; he found himself sprawled out on a grassy plain; rocky outcroppings in the distance. In the distance he glimpsed the misty silhouette of a city -a harbor?- nestled against the serene sea. There were people there. Many people. He could sense them, feel their lives burning in his mind eye like innumerable candles.
Against his better judgement, he tried to stand.
The soft clink of metal drew his ear.
He looked down. "Ha?"
A glistening jewel bound in a bit of metal lay nestled against his chest, set in a black leather sash looped around his waist. He'd not noticed it before at this angle, but now that he did...
His head tiled, considering them. Not it. Them.
For there was far more than one.
The first was the teal of a happy sky. The second thrummed a peaceful shade of amber. The third was an angry thundering violet, while the fourth shone an earthy green, rich with life, and the fifth deep and true as ocean blue. The sixth proved warm to the touch and burned brighter than the others, red as a raging flame. And the seventh...was cold as ice. Fitting, given the emblem carved into it.
They were, each of them, bound into the strange black sash hanging from his hips.
That made seven in all, each set in the strange sash belted to his hip. He had no idea what they were, who had given them to him, or where they came from. But he could sense the power in them all the same. If the folks in the harbor ahead were as candles to him, these were an inferno; each a mass of crystallized power made manifest. Active and wild, ready to ignite at a moment's notice. He had but to will it. He wasn't quite sure how it was that he knew it, only that he did.
"Alright," he muttered. "I'll bite. What are you and where did you come from...?"
On a whim, he reached out and pushed a good bit of his chakra through the red crystal.
Something stirred in him and a fireball sprang forth, setting the grass beneath him ablaze in a towering column of flame.
"Whoa, hey!" he danced backward, hissed at his burnt feet, and cut his chakra with a yelp "Hot! Nope! Not messing with that!"
Aghast, he tore the sash off and launched it across the plains with a flick of the wrist.
It instantly reappeared around his hips once more.
Naruto's right eye twitched. "Oi."
He threw it away again.
It reappeared.
Scowling, he tore it off and walked backwards slowly.
Nope. There it was again, shimmering back in a rush of pale light.
"Scram!"
With a mighty shout and a herculean heave besides, the exasperated jinchuuriki threw it across the horizon. Then he flared his chakra claok and bolted in the opposite direction, running full tilt toward the distant harbor at maximum speed. Bounding over hills and flinging himself over wayward tree roots, he ran faster still, determined to leave the strange sash and its glimmering jewels in the dust. "Ha! Lets see you catch up with me now-
He nearly made it to the gate before he felt the unfamiliar weight of the sash once more.
Aggravated, he careened to a halt and stomped a foot down, cratering the earth.
"FOR CRYIN' OUT LOUD!
"You there! Halt!"
His head snapped up with a growl. "Ha?! You wanna fight or something?!"
.
..
...in hindsight, he should've chosen his words more carefully...and taken better heed of his surroundings. His short-lived sprint had brought him perilously close to the harbor gate. Had that been it, he might've drawn a few raised eyebrows but otherwise escaped their noticed. His little tantrum just now -and the subsequent crater he'd spawned in full view of a dozen or so people...
.
..
...yeah, not so much.
Two guards in curious outfits stormed his way, spears in hand.
The taller of the duo brandished theirs in his face. "You've some nerve causing a racket here! You're under arre-
"Wait."
A striking beauty with dark hair and piecing green eyes strode between the two of them with flowing grace, wearing an outfit of...what was that? Her attire didn't look remotely practical. All blue and black with a white fur coat draped over her shoulders, yet she didn't even wear it. A dice danged from her neck, jangling as she approached. She took one look at him, planted a hand on her hip, and cocked her body to the left, considering him as one might a curious trinket.
"Who's this, then?"
"Lady Yelan!" One of them saluted.
"We don't know, ma'am." the other answered. "We were just about to take him into custody-
"There's no need." she waved him off and stepped forward. "This is all just a misunderstanding. Were you the one who created that pillar of fire in the hills just now?"
Kurama rasped a sigh. "She has you there...
Oh, now he chimed in! Naruto winced despite himself. "Yeah, that was me."
Her gaze sharpened. "Interesting. You really should be more careful with a Pyro...vision...?" Those words trailed off as she saw the other jewels, no longer hidden under his tattered billowing jacket. Each and every one of them were shimmering softly, like a wishing star. A blue jewel at her hip glowed in unison with them. Her eyes widened.
...what on earth are you?"
"Vision?" he seized on the word. "Is that what these are called?" he flicked one, then winced with a violet spark shot out of it. "I dunno, I just woke up with these...
The lady known only as Yelan regarded him for a long moment like some dangerous beast. He didn't much like that look.
Finally, the ire in her eyes cooled. "Come with me. I'd like to ask you few questions, if you don't mind."
He scoffed. "Why should I go anywhere with you
"Well, for starters, I can get you out of those ragged old clothes...
Naruto crossed both arms before his chest. "I happen to like these colors."
...and something to eat." she changed tack flawlessly on him. "You look like you haven't eaten in days."
On cue, his stomach warbled a plaintive growl. Naruto clasped a hand against his torso too late, unable to muffle it in time. Traitor!
Yelan's smile became a coy smirk; a wry grin that told him she had the upper hand. "Well? What do you say? Its a fair offer."
He clasped both hands behind his head and reluctantly followed her into the harbor.
Perhaps had he known what lay in store he would've walked the other way.
With great power comes great responsibility, this much is true.
But what comes from having Great Vision?
He would soon find out.
A/N: Just as "Archon" focuses heavily on Mondstadt, this one's more centered around Liyue and other characters. Several infamous ones included.
*cough*Yelan and Hu Tao*cough*
Its heavily implied Naruto had contact with the Heavenly Principles here...and that it ended rather well for our silver-tongued lad.
*Wink wink nudge*
Ought to be fun, seeing the Archons squabble over him/try to figure out what's going on.
To be clear! Don't take this too seriously. Its meant to be told in jest, with all sorts of humor and chaos.
Aaaand scenee
Hope you enjoyed this little ficlet. Well? Should this remain a story? Yay or nay? What say you~?
As ever, the Embers rule still persists. If folks don't like this story? Well...I'll not continue it. I can't bear to write something no one likes. Its the simple truth, though a sad one. So by all means, speak up! Raise your voice! Make yourself heard! Your reviews matter! Really, they do! I'm literally working every day now, so I have less and less time to write. Daily updates might...slow down in the interim, but I know that would upset a lot of people.
So, in the Immortal words of Atlas...
...review, would you kindly?
And of course, enjoy the previews!
They're mostly the same. Wouldn't do to spoil things, no?.
That said, you know the drill: SPOILERS SPOILERS SPOILERS AHOY! Sail these waters at yer own risk, yar~!
(Previews)
To have more than one vision...such should not be possible.
"Are we suuuure he's not dead? He looks paler than a ghost at the moment...
Hu Tao, stop poking his cheek. You'll dent his face.
"Aren't you just adorable?!
Qiqi ducked her head behind the counter.
The Tsaritsa clicked her tongue.
"Why does someone like that have one of my visions?"
My lady-
She looked past the man to her Harbingers.
"Who is this person speaking to me as though I needed his advice?"
Rex Lapis had grown used to the passing of time; the inevitable wear and tear of erosion. But this...this was new.
The Pyro Archon rested her fist against her chin with a grin.
"And just like that, the war begins...
She did so delight in chaos.
The heavens rumbled.
And the Shogun scowled. "Insolent...
Venti hid a smile behind his hand. "Ooops?"
Kusanali tilted her little head.
Tilted it some more, now.
"Curious."
Furina, no.
Furina, yes! I'm curious! Just what is he...?
She was very, very, VERY good at maintaining the act.
R&R~!