CHAPTER 2

"Visions"

"No man can tame a tiger into a kitten by stroking it.
There can be no appeasement with ruthlessness.
There can be no reasoning with an incendiary bomb."
- Franklin D. Roosevelt

Narukami Island, 12:55 PM

"Who's next?" Said, William holding his rifle as he stared at the group of people. That blond lady tried to stab him and that... that..? "Wait the hell is that?" as he stared at Paimon floating. William slowly steps away and he sprints away, Lumine tries to chase but Paimon shakes her head.
William watches as he doesn't see the soldiers or Lumine chasing him, he jumps over a short stone wall and runs by an old couple. He runs upon some masked creatures (Hilichurls) as they harass a Young blond woman with a cart, Her eyes are a yellowish color and she is wearing a red robe, The right side of the robe is pulled down and a bandage is over her chest covering her breast.

"Get away you dang Hilichurls!" As the young girl raises her bow, the amulet of some kind is on the left side of her chest, it glows red with a flame coming out of the tip of her bow. The Amulet has an inlaid thin border surrounded by a full-circle stylized bow with a stylized knot at the bottom and three solid circles along the top half of the circle, with the middle circle being the biggest of the three.
He watches the young girl shoot down some Hilichurls or scare them away. William sees a Hilichurl about to jump onto this young lady and he raises his M1 Garand. The rifle makes a loud *BANG* as the Hilichurl collapses face first. William steps closer to the Hillichurl, the barrel of his rifle smoking. Then, the young woman turns around and William gets a good look at her...

"Hey, you okay ma'am...?" Said, William
"Yeah, I'm fine, say you seem strong uhh would you please help me carry these fireworks to Naganohara Fireworks?" The young woman replies.
"Sure lead the way, ma'am," William said as he slings his rifle and helps the young with the fireworks in the cart. The walk to "Naganohara Fireworks" starts...
"Hey, mister you have a name?" Said the young woman
"William. What's your name?" He said to the woman
"You don't know me..?" Said the woman
"Nope, I don't know anyone here..." said, William
"Well, you do seem like a traveler, I'm Yoimiya!" Yoimiya said smiling brightly, almost like a firework...
"Huh. Uhh nice name Yoimiya." William looks at her giving her a small smile
"Thanks, William!" Yoimiya smiles and he looks at the M1 Garand on his shoulder and she opens her mouth...
"What's the thing on your shoulder?" She innocently says
"It's my rifle." Said, William
"Rifle? What's that?" Yoimiya squints her eyes

William sighs as he's about to explain what a rifle is Yomimiya yells "Just kidding!" and giggles and William chuckles, the two keep walking to Naganohara Fireworks and Yoimiya asks a lot about William and where he is from. Even though she thinks he's a little crazy saying he's from the "United States" and born in "New York" places that don't exist on Teyvat from what she can remember. His stories are interesting to her and she looks at the 101st Airborne Patch on the left side of his shoulder and the single chevron with one arc.
"What's that?" Yoimiya says as she points at his rank
"My Rank," William said
"Rank? You are a soldier?!" Yoimiya smiles brightly
"Yeah, I'm a private." William chuckles
"You have so much stuff on you Willy!" Yoimiya looks at his gear and jacket
"Willy?" William stared at Yoimiya for a cold second
"Oh, you don't like that nickname...?" Yoimiya smiled
"Nevermind... I have so much stuff because I need it to do things." William says coldly to Yoimiya
"What things?" Yoimiya looks at him curiously
"Can't say" William smiled at her
"Awww... that's boring!" Yoimiya complained

Inazuma City, Narukami Island, Inazuma

1:15 AM, Outside of Naganohara Fireworks

William unloads the fireworks where Yoimiya wants them placed, and he sees a blond woman and that floaty thing...? "A fairy maybe..?" once again

Lumine and Paimon spot William, and Lumine grips her sword tightly as she stares at William Yoimiya walks up and sees this exchange of stares
"Something wrong willy..?" said Yoimiya
"Them." William unslings his M1 and he keeps it at a ready position.
"That's the guy!" Paimon yells and Yoimiya gulps
"Hey Hey let's calm down no need to fight..." Yoimiya gets in the way and she smiles and tries to de-escalate. William sighs and he looks at the people surrounding them and he sighs as Lumine and Paimon explain why they are hostile to William. Yoimiya looks at him and she sighs, "Willy did you shoot someone with your rifle..?" William nodded "He ran at me with a sword" William coldly said, "Well I guess that's reasonable but you don't fight the Shogun's army outright!" Yoimiya yells "Well if someone is threatening you, you would fight back." William says bluntly, Yoimiya sighs and tries to fix their issues over some tea.

William keeps his rifle at bay as he stares at Lumine and Paimon, the inside of Naganohara Fireworks is very humble and quiet, and the breathing of William and Lumine is steady but filled with a deep annoyance. Paimon starts to speak, in a gentle curious tone.

Paimon: "So mister... where are you from..?"
William: "Buffalo, New York."
Paimon: "Buffalo, New York..? where is that on a map, sir..?"
William: "You have a map I can see..?"

Paimon nods and Lumine pulls out a major map of Teyvat
William: It's not on there. This isn't the right map
Paimon: Not the right Map? Then where are you from mister?!
William digs around in his bag and grabs and unravels a map of the earth in the year 1939, a much cleaner map than a 1944 map where the borders are being changed so often from the war.

"Woah..." The two girls stare at the strange map, as William points to the United States and he slides his finger to the state of New York.

"There that's New York." William looks up and sees Lumine and Paimon whispering to each other
Paimon: "That's very weird mister... no one in Teyvat has a map like this of the world. Oh, you must be a traveler like Lumine!"
William: "Traveler..?"
Lumine: "You cross dimensions right?"
William: "No... I'm just a paratrooper."

Paratrooper...
That word confuses Lumine and Paimon but before William can explain Yoimiya opens the door and she sighs

Yoimiya: "It's time for the umm... 100th Vision Hunt Ceremony... I don't watch... well the Ceremony but you guys can... I think Thoma's vision is being taken..." she says a little saddened.
Lumine and Paimon: "Thoma?"
Paimon: Oh no! Lumine we have to go save him, Thoma is our friend!

The two rush out and William follows wanting to know what a Vision Hunt Ceremony is, They rush to the scene and see Thoma kneeling, his hands tied together by rope and he looks up at the Raiden Shogun as she takes his Vision. But, Lumine jumps up and grabs Thoma's vision and when the guards near Thoma rush up they are shot down by William as he jumps down... everyone stands shocked as they see William's uniform and his rifle and how he cut down two guards. The Raiden Shogun stares deeply at William. A foreigner, who cut down two of her guards with an unknown weapon (M1 Garand). "Possibly Fatui..? No way. The Fatui don't wear Olive Drab as their uniforms and have so many items on them. who could this man be?"

Ei: "You two... are threats to eternity... one of you can use Elemently energy without a vision and the other is quite the stranger, yet both threats to Inazuma." Ei steps forward in the air every step she takes thunder creates little pads for her to walk on until she is on the floor and she snaps her finger as a blade starts to pull out of her chest. Ei pulls out the blade and William rushes up closer with Lumine and stares at the Shogun's purple eyes.. so cold...

William: "We gotta go." he pulls on Lumine's arm but the sound of electricity makes him turn around and the surrounding world turns Black.

William blinks fast as he sees darkness until he enters Baal's inner world, He sees her in the same outfit but sitting in the air, he turns and sees Lumine shocked.

Baal opens her eyes and stares at William.

William feels fear like no other, this feeling is worse than jumping from a C-47

"Fuck..."

End of Chapter 2