"Do you not have a name? What a coincidence, me too."
Two wanderers met under impossibly unique circumstances with strikingly similar similarities, two beings without a name that came to befriend each other and whose presence provided warmth to the other.
A puppet made by the Electro Archon and a Descender, a very unlikely story that ended up being recorded in Irminsul.
The Descender was a mental wreck, having fallen into Teyvat without his consent with no way back and having lost most memories that made him, him. The Wanderer was a blank slate, having walked across the lands for centuries with no goal or destination and unable to feel any emotions, for he lacked a heart.
It was after saving the Descender did the Wanderer's otherwise monotonous life started becoming colourful. The Wanderer became the Descender's teacher in everything Teyvat related: language, writing, customs, the layout of the world… everything that the Wanderer was able to impart, he taught the Descender.
What the Wanderer did not know was that the Descender came from a world where everything in Teyvat was presented in a highly popular game and the Descender was one of its many players. The Descender knew many secrets of the world that even Gods might not be privy to despite having forgotten his identity and history before he descended.
Naturally, the Descender knew of the truth behind Wanderer's life. "Scaramouche", "Kunikuzushi", "Balladeer"; these are the titles and names that the Wanderer went by before he erased his existence through Irminsul. Looking at the peaceful puppet sitting on the ship's deck and looking out at the sea, the Descender wondered what his first ever companion in Teyvat would react if– no, when– the Wanderer regained his memories through Nahida's help.
They touched down at Sumeru, walking through the lush jungles and taking in the exotic sights that only Sumeru could offer.
"Is it just me, or did time seem to quicken or slow when you are being pushed?"
The Descender did not pay much mind to the comment made by the Wanderer in that particular combat lesson. Sometime into their journey the Descender had asked the Wanderer if he could do him a favour and teach him how to fight. Teyvat is a dangerous place, especially for people like them who prefer to wander from place to place for personal reasons. The Wanderer wandered to find a purpose, having no home, kin, nor destination. The Descender wandered to find his way home or if that is not possible, to search for the reason why he was being summoned to Teyvat.
The Wanderer readily agreed to the Descender's request. Thus started the Descender's foray into the combat arts as the Wanderer personally taught him his style of combat.
"You can harness elemental power," the Wanderer's surprise was not an unfounded one, for the laws of Teyvat are absolute and it was determined that humans could only harness elemental power if they wield a Vision. The Wanderer is an artificial being, so he could harness elemental energy while not possessing a Vision, even if his expertise on this matter is a far cry from true Vision wielders as most of his powers are still being sealed.
His friend, the Descender… How did he resonate with the element of Anemo so easily?
The Wanderer couldn't understand. The Descender told him that he was not of this world, which was probably why he's an exception to this rule as he's not bound by the laws of Teyvat in the first place, but was that really all there is to it?
The Wanderer eventually stopped pondering over the conundrum that is his friend. They continue to travel across Sumeru, taking in the sights, exploring places that people would otherwise not explore and just… enjoy each other's company.
"How about we give each other a name?"
One day, the Descender gave this proposition and the Wanderer agreed after some thought. He had yearned for a name, but never had one because he had nobody to give him something to call himself by, something which he can use to associate himself with an identity that makes him unique.
"Junjou," the Descender decided after much careful consideration. "It means "pure heart" according to Inazuma's culture. You may be a puppet born without a heart, so I wish that when the day comes where you found your heart, it will remain as pure as it is today."
"Adham," the Wanderer, who now goes by the name of Junjou, gave him in return. "It means man of the earth per Sumeru's customs. Hopefully, you would one day see yourself as an inhabitant of Teyvat too."
Thus, the Wanderer became "Junjou" and the Descender became "Adham". The two best friends, the two who are each other's only friends in this lonely yet vast world, formed a bond stronger than kinship as they continued to make their way to Sumeru City.
Alas, their intertwined fate lasted only for so long.
"ADHAM!"
It was a rogue Eremite faction that ambushed them on their journey towards Sumeru City. It wasn't the first time they were being attacked by bandits or the likes, but it was the first time that they were being attacked by such a big group.
A strong surge of rage swelled within the Wanderer as he witnessed the body of his one and only friend crumpled onto the ground, a huge gaping hole punctured into his chest where his heart once was. The winds howled, the skies cried, and all the Wanderer could see was red as a furious cyclone bloomed around him. The gods had finally casted their gaze on him as the element that symbolises freedom manifested in the palm of his hand.
I wish that when the day comes where you found your heart, it will remain as pure as it is today
Even long after the corpses of the Eremites that Junjou had slain in vengeance had cooled and the skies began to pour, the puppet was still weeping as he held the cold dead body of his friend close to him, his heart full of regret. If only he was faster, better, stronger… If only…
The Anemo Vision that he now wears over his heart serves as a stark reminder of what happened that day. Even after he recovered his memories with help from the Traveller and the Dendro Archon his heart still felt empty.
That day, he received his "heart".
That day, he lost his friend too.
What use is there for a heart, if there is no longer a friend to share it with?
– Tales of a Hundred Cycles, Vol I
AN: Right during the period where the conclusion of the Sumeru archon quest came out and the concept of "samsara" was introduced, a very popular branch of Genshin fanfiction became the rage on many chinese fanfiction sites. To put it simply, they adopted the genshin concept of "samsara" by putting their story's mc into a neverending samsara. Their mc would continuously journey through countless parallel versions of Teyvat to resolve issues of some kind to reach a higher goal. The endings of each journey are mostly bittersweet or outright tragic.
I took a shine to this novel concept and till date, I haven't come across any fics with a similar concept on ffnet, so I tried writing my own version of it (I think that was about half a year to one year ago?) Cannot really remember the exact time I started on this side project and I had forgotten all about it until now. Personally I don't think this fic worked out that well but I think I will let you be the judge of that.
The original intention for this story is to have a hundred chapters, one each for the mc's samsara cycle, but I don't think it will be possible to really write a hundred chapters for pragmatic reasons. The chapters will also not be posted in chronological order.
Personally, I honestly doubt that this fic will ever be completed (like most of my other fics oops)