Cold Clouds 13 - (Genshin Impact, Ganyu!SI)
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"W-We are flying. On a cloud."
"Yep."
It was so adorable to see someone as big-brained as little Anahita contemplating how this was possible. Considering that unique powers were 'unique' among the various gods in Teyvat, it was fair to assume that someone like a Sumerian-born deity would be baffled by the idea that a cloud could be fitted to carry people around.
"H-How?"
"A combination of Ice and Water with a mixture of Electricity," I summarized as plainly as possible, drawing a baffled look out of the young radish as we continued through our journey into 'Green Hell Sumeru'. I had thought about dragging her to make friends into the desert but... King Deshret wasn't a thing yet. I wasn't sure about Nabu Malikata either due to how fucking convoluted Sumeru Lore can be and how little I remembered about the pre-Archon War period. "But worry not, you have the potential to achieve far greater than this. With the right kind of focus and attention."
She huffed. "W-Why do I need to train? I should focus on- on helping people!"
"With all due respect, little Radish, you are barely a threat to anyone with enough awareness over your weaknesses," I remarked dryly as we finally found it - a nice tall hill with plenty of space for sparring and other exercises. The cloud descended so that we could both step onto the ground. And I saw the deep frown Anahita was giving me. "And don't give me that look, child, you are far from being a proper deity. Powerful or not, your body is fragile, same for your consciousness."
Her lips twitched, but any interest to outright protest were pushed back as she still had fresh in mind what happened with the thugs I took care of. She may be a bit too arrogant for her own good, but I could tell this was actually a small 'flaw' all forms of Irminsul's Avatar had: born with intelligence, but she lacked experience. And to be truly wise, one needed both in equal measure.
"Which is why you need to truly understand yourself and the world within your own deeds rather than what your mind knows. You need to learn through feeling. Which is why your training will last six years."
Her eyes widened in surprise at those words.
"S-Six years?"
"Considering our lifespan, that's quite limited and very generous towards your giddiness in 'helping' others. The world will not stop bleeding because you decide to help a few- not when you are in no shape to create a proper civilization worthy of seeing you as their deity."
All those words only annoyed Anahita, but it was best to be dry and ruthless early on so I could butter her up during training.
"The first two years shall see us enjoy this very place. You will 'learn' how to train your body. The body is the temple of one's mind, and if you wish to truly become a proper Sage, you need to respect your body just as much as you respect your mind."
She slowly nodded at this, and yet she frowned. "Then where?"
"That's a secret, little Radish. So, are you ready to get worked up?"
"...Yes?"
I grinned wildly. "I am glad to hear that. We are going to start with dodging."
Anahita frowned some more, but her mind was 'expanded' as soon as I got her started with the culture of 'DOOOOODGE!'. I couldn't get it ingrained within Chiyo's mind with how damaged it was and how 'headbutting' the oni was, but the mini-Dendro deity was just smart enough to know that 'pain is bad' and 'dodging is divine'.
I didn't hurl rocks at her, if that's what one would worry about, but I wasn't giving her any mercy in 'letting herself be hit'. The snowballs I was producing were originally created out of water, but I started to get creative and develop a 'difficulty' selection. From water, I turned to sweat, then spit, and then pee.
"W-Why are they yellow!" The brat squeaked in fear as she bolted left and right, my efforts paying off as the exercises she went through made her nimble and sharp in the duty of dodging some despicable projectile. "S-Sensei, you monster!"
Yes, I have her call me 'Sensei'. I used Inazuman tradition to officially argue for it, but I found it to be far more amusing and less legally problematic than 'Master' or 'Mama'.
"Because I have been holding it for a while as I waited for your little buns to be ready to be worked up, you cute Radish!"
This was a side of the training. A deeply amusing side of it, but it wasn't the only bit. Teaching Nahida the finest cooking was also part of the 'survival lessons' as the girl could not rely on plants- not after she discovered the power of the Burgars (yes, I converted the plant-girl into a carnivore, sue me). It definitely helped the girl in putting up the right kind of mass to not only develop muscles but to also get the curves she needed as she reached the mid-point of puberty.
She was far from 'peak', but I guess that going for the first two years of hardcore training was bound to make her current outfit unable to keep up with her growth. So, after this 'early' phase of the training, I had to help her tailor her own new outfit.
Despite her initial dismay, the girl was hooked over the idea of making her own clothes. And, as the first two years came to a most satisfying conclusion with this self-gift, I could tell that Anahita was looking forward for more of what I could teach her.
"How is it?" She inquired, giving a twirl as she checked out her current outfit. It looked a bit similar to Nahida's outfit, but 'upgraded' to fit more within Anahita's older frame. It had a bit of a short skirt, but she wore short pants under it so...
"It looks good on you, my child."
Anahita blushed, and that's because I had taken a liking to style her as my 'baby' with how much I had to teach her about life. Smart and intelligent she may be, but Anahita was like a toddler over a world that could be so cruel to sweet souls like her.
"T-Thank you... mother."
And I had to chase her with a paddle as soon as she noticed I was blushing. The nerve of my beloved little radish!
Anahita felt delighted. Today they would finally move to the next phase of her training.
She had been aghast to know this would take her out of the region as they moved towards the lands of the Winds and Storms, but Ganyu promised her she would be brought back home by the end of this journey. It was something worthy of a grimace and, truth be told, she was unsure if this was truly necessary.
She made a lot of progress in these two years, she felt like she would just need two more of being within Sumeru and she would be ready to take on all sorts of trouble within her home. She could make it, she knew that. At least, that was Anahita kept repeating within her own mind before...
Before she learned that there was a limit to 'wisdom'.
It occurred during their departure. They had crossed the massive rainforests of Sumeru at a slow pace, a request from Anahita herself as she wished to enjoy home as they left. The nature all around her greeted her kindly, reminding her that they would wait her return and 'that they understood'. Despite those soothing words, Anahita didn't feel convinced.
She opened her mouth a few times, trying to conjure an opposition reasonable enough to stop her teacher - maybe with sweet words? No, it had to be logical. She wanted to find a counterpoint to her teacher's reasoning, but Ganyu was extensive on why it was best to find their next training location in 'Mondstadt': they needed a lot of desolate space to make things go 'boom'.
She didn't understood what she meant, but Anahita was sure it had to do with 'Elemental Reactions'. Which made no sense as the young pointy-eared woman could hardly produce explosive energy with her plant-based energy.
She couldn't even consider it a viable option in most instances so... it felt stupid. But she went along with it since her teacher had taught her that 'stupid is not bad, it is just the kind of smart that needs to be proved as such'. Odd, but a strangely fair philosophy considering she proved Anahita wrong a few times.
And, as they were getting closer to the border... Anahita suddenly reached out for Ganyu's arm, squeezing at it. The gesture prompted the cloud to stop.
"Hm?"
Ganyu turned, her kind eyes already possessing that sort of 'parental annoyance' bored by those adults that expected childish reasonings behind some antics. In this case, however, as she spotted early on by the way her eyes widened, Ganyu saw how suddenly pale Anahita looked.
"What's wrong?"
She didn't say anything, her mind suddenly blank due to the strange and scary signals of 'pain and fear' coming from nearby. Anahita just aimed a finger in the general direction and the cloud suddenly moved closer to the source of this distress.
It grew stronger within her mind, and Anahita felt inclined to hold close at Ganyu as they got nearer to this horrendous feeling. Then, her bright green eyes saw it. It was a small patch of the forest, dark brown and orange when compared to the lively green all around. It was spreading slowly as the entire forest fought back.
But then her ears caught it- screams of pain and confusion, of anger and fear, of sorrow and pleasure. She ogled at the scene, seeing humans clawing at each other, blood being spilled so ruthlessly and- and then she looked away.
Her teacher studied the sight, mute and yet seemingly aware of what was going on. Anahita tried to ask her what it was, to understand it. But she couldn't feel it in her heart to do it. She just asked one thing.
"M-Mom, make it stop, please!"
Too much, it was becoming too much for her to take.
And Ganyu nodded slowly. Her open palm aimed at the small patch in the forest as she mustered some of her energy. Anahita focused on this detail out of her personal urge to not think on what was happening in that small section of the forest. Was she going to freeze it? Zap it? Was going to truly work?
Much to her surprise (followed by relief), Ganyu muttered three well-timed words as she readied her response to the abomination.
"Big Bang..."
It's... like a star. It twirled with a yellow and blue light in front of her palm and-
"Attack!"
The orb rushed down to the center of that horrible sight and... Anahita closed her eyes for a moment, surprise suddenly rushing within her as the screams went suddenly quiet- no, they were deafened by the large explosion that tore the corrupted area apart.
Shock and awe mixed in that momentary form of bliss. Gone was the fearful display, now replaced by smoke and ashes. It took Anahita a moment to grasp the situation, feeling more at ease as Ganyu turned to properly hug her. She nuzzled on her bosom, finding solace in that motherly embrace as she further gave up on the idea that, deep down, she wasn't truly that displeased of 'having a mother'.
"You're alright. It will be alright."
Anahita nodded at her words but... "W-What was that?"
"...Some call it Forbidden Knowledge," Ganyu explained, the half-Qilin caressing her head as she taught Anahita something new that Irminsul had nothing about for some reason. "It's a reductive term for what it is. True Madness, Eldritch Horror, the End of Sanity."
Each word painted a greater and 'more fitting' aspect to what had just occurred, and then Ganyu explained the full extent to it.
"Some knowledge is meant to be learned by those driven by wisdom, either through feelings or through intelligence. Through sanity. What you saw there was the end of it- what stands at the edge of what we are meant to understand. What lies beyond the light, the shadow that can't be tamed as it is always alive and ready to prey upon those foolish enough to think themselves above others. You... you are blessed, my child, but also cursed. For you have a duty to make sure that, when the time comes, you will have to take the right step to prevent the sickness from spreading."
Anahita sobbed, but kept herself coherent through sheer will. "Y-You mean-"
"Someone will do this. Again. And to a worse extent. You can't contain it. Once it's unleashed, you either surrender to it or-"
"D-Destroy it."
Eliminate it, purge it.
"Yes. And it will not be an easy task. Never try to think yourself above being ruthless in that regard. Lives will be at stakes, people that have done nothing to deserve it."
Anahita could only nod at this point, and their trip resumed as she fell asleep against Ganyu's body. She found bliss and comfort within her hug, and she found herself pulled away from that hideous memory. But it lingered in her - the horror of what lies beyond and...
Why she had to learn how to fight at the best of her capacity, even beyond what she perceived as her limits. That's why she had to train more, that's why Ganyu was giving her so much grief and... affection.
AN
The Coco-Goat is back, and her little Radish evolved in a'Adult' Radish (reference to Adult Gohan when the guy isn't an 'Adult' yet)! Next time, Adult Radish faces a (good) dog and helps around with Ganyu over the Mondstadtian Revolution!