(This is non canon to the main storyline. This is an AU based on Arc 3)

"Kamui..." Issei whispered as he saw his old friend on his deathbed.

The elder of the Gusto Tribe chuckled as he saw those he saw as compatriots and family surrounding him as he was nearing death. "Come now, this was long expected, don't you think?"

He sighed. "I've lived a long life, it was bound to end sooner or later."

"Dad..." Pilica whispered, the girl was now a young adult, both her and her sister had grown to be beautiful. Just as Pilica softly put her hand over her father's, Kamui smiled as he caressed his daughter's face.

"Dear... you don't have to worry about me much, this is how the world works, you've seen war, you can move on from this." Kamui said weakly.

"Though that may be true, it is different, this is an inevitable fate." Spoke Avance. "It has been a long journey, Kamui."

"Indeed it has been." Kamui started closing his eyes. "Reeze... could you hold my hand for a bit..." As Kamui said that, he weakly raised his hand to the air as if he were trying to grasp something.

Issei looked saddened as the hand dropped down so suddenly.

Kamui had passed away from old age.

His daughters cried as they held his hand, Lara looked in sadness as her mentor died in front of her.

Yet she needed to be strong.

"From now on, as per the chieftain's will, I will become the next leader of the Gusto Tribe." She declared, clenching her fist with a determined look.

Issei decided to leave the tent, so that Kamui's daughters could say their last goodbyes to the body before they buried it next to Reeze's grave.

Once Issei got out, he saw a boy with a dark tone of skin and white hair, similar to Avance.

That was because it was the second Nekroz prince.

Shurit was the first prince, he had grown to be a young adult, in the future, he would become the next leader after Avance were to die.

As for his brother, the second Nekroz Prince.

"It is a shame that Kamui had to die." The prince lamented.

"We know, Cyno." Issei responded. "But that is how life works."

"Yet you and many others have cheated death, have you not?" He inquired.

"Indeed, yet, that only happened as we have been cheated by life itself."

"Deaths that were never meant to happen..."

"Quite, just as your mother had been revived, she is still looking as youthful as she did back then."

"That would mean that my father will die of old age in the future while my mother will not, right?" Cyno scratched the back of his head. "In any case, I guess now isn't the time to request a duel."

"Maybe another time, right now, it is best to mourn the death of a great man." Responded Issei.

"Uncle... Does it hurt much?" The Nekroz prince asked. "Someone close to you and the others have died."

"It does, yet the war that happened before and the losses made it so that I can control myself better, just like you've seen with your father." Answered Issei. "As for you... what is it that makes you want to become a Ritual Beast Tamer?"

"You aren't thinking about hooking up with either of my daughters, right?" Issei teased.

Cyno cringed. "Uncle please, I see them as dear sisters to me, never suggest such a thing ever again. I can now tell where I got my humor."

Issei chuckled. "You pain me, but I get it, a father wouldn't usually go around joking like that, it's just that Shurit ended up getting together with Pillica and Wen, so I was sort of thinking that you might end up doing the same with either of them."

Cyno sighed. "Either way, to answer your question... I want to explore the outskirts, the boundaries that only Lazuli and auntie's sister previously explored, the place where Tighnari is from, and where your daughters wish to also visit."

"Boredom surely is a disease is it not?" Commented Issei.

"It seems so, but this expedition could become something much grander than what we expect."

"Indeed, we might as well end up expanding the territory."

Issei then continued the conversation with another topic. "So, how's your training with Exa?"

"Trying to become the next enforcer is one of the few things I want to achieve, I need to be someone my parents are proud of."

"Is it not the fact that you want to impart justice? Not just that, trying to be two things at once must be taking a toll on you."

"Well, there is no need for that, not when there aren't really any criminals here. And as for being a Nekroz enforcer and Ritual Beast Tamer... I guess I just really want to live up to the expectations the title of a prince has."

Issei noticed that he had been walking alongside Cyno without even thinking much, but he realized he had arrived at his desired destination.

In front of him was his wife.

Or rather, one of his two wives.

Right after what happened with Ariel and Winda, they somehow ended up in this mess.

One where they are all happy to be part of.

"From the looks of it, Pilica and Wen are still inside the tent, I see you've been talking to Cyno again." Winda commented.

"It is a pleasure meeting you again, aunt." Greeted Cyno.

"No need to be so formal to me." She giggled.

Just then Issei looked at the teenager who peeked behind Winda.

Her green hair made it clear it was Winda's daughter.

"Dad!" She exclaimed as she saw Issei.

"I see you've been staying closer to your mother, Collei." He said as he ruffled her hair. "How have both of you been doing during this situation? You didn't give your mother any problems, right?"

"No! Not at all." She refuted.

Winda slowly walked towards him. "So... regarding Kamui..."

"He has passed away." Issei recounted.

Winda's face slowly became sad. "Unfortunately, yes."

"Hey, don't look so down, you know full well that Kamui would have wanted you to smile, right? Though he was known to bring smiles back then, I believe he would wish for us to continue smiling."

"Still... Seeing the only other original Gusto Tribe member die... it reminds me that one day, we will lose everyone we meet."

Issei gently held her hand. "That's why we should make the most of our days, remember when we thought I would be the one to go back to sacrifice myself after three days? We should treat each day as such, because we never know when we'll never be able to say goodbye to someone ever again."

"We should treat everyone well, so that when their time comes, they have a smile on their face, a smile of satisfaction over the fulfilling life they've had."

Winda looked unsure, but she smiled. "You always have such an interesting way of seeing things, with how pessimistic you were then, I would never have thought you were this cheerful before... I will still arrive at his burial though."

"You were the one to bring me back to being optimistic." Issei pointed out as he kissed her on the lips.

Once they separated from the exchange Issei continued by saying. "I won't be able to be at the burial, it's a pity really, but I want the children to have a fun day exploring the outskirts, I'll bring something from outside and put it near his grave once I return."

"You really pay attention to those around you, not just your family, but your friends as well." Joked Winda.

Cyno cleared his throat. "I am sorry to interrupt your situation, but shouldn't we go towards Ariel and get Tighnari and Ganyu for the expedition?"

Issei sheepishly said. "Yes, we should."

He then gave Winda a goodbye kiss. "I'll promise to take care of the children during the expedition."

Winda simply nodded. "I hope you don't end up lamenting the fact you weren't there for the burial."

Issei sighed. "No promises, you know how I am sometimes."

"Just go already, you're keeping Ariel waiting for too long."

"Alright, alright, I'm glad both of you still have good relations."

"Her declaration after we spent the night certainly surprised me. At first, I felt confused and a bit annoyed at what Ariel had done, but I knew that we could make this work somehow."

"If that is how you see it, I won't refute it." Issei said as he started to walk towards the Nekroz territory, where Ariel was waiting for them.

Collei looked at Cyno as they continued walking. "So did you ever actually win against Shurit or dad?"

Cyno shook his head. "I like the card game, but these two are just really good at it, Shurit is known as the strategist of the Nekroz for a reason."

He downcasted. "I feel a bit inferior to him, but with this adventure I hope I can exceed the expectations that my parents have but don't wish to express."

Issei looked back. "Hey, it's alright, expectations or not, it is better to take things while being calm, being anxious and thinking about it will make you break your focus."

"I know that, it's just so hard to think of another thing."

"Which is exactly why I asked Tighnari to come, his jokes will certainly distract you from your way of thinking."

Cyno groaned while Collei giggled.

"But is sister Ganyu also coming?" Collei asked.

"Of course, I don't want favoritism over either of you, so I try to make sure both of you have the same options to choose from."

Collei pouted. "But why does she get to visit the Tellarknights?"

"Rasalhague's decision really." He answered. "I don't really know what he's thinking."

Issei then started to look melancholic. "Especially after Lazuli and Crystal decided to sacrifice themselves."

Cyno looked a bit unhappy, yet at the same time curious. "I wasn't old enough to know what happened before, but..."

"What happened during the aftermath of the Thousand Sins?"

Issei stopped for a moment.

"A long tale really, one where we discussed and showed how self sacrificial and selfish each one of us truly was."

Collei then said. "What do you mean by that, dad?"

"Each one of us was willing to sacrifice ourselves you see." Issei explained. "Avance was one of the many that asked to be the one to be sacrificed."

Cyno widened his eyes.

"In the end, Lazuli and Crystal were the ones to sacrifice themselves..."

"Both of them... and Yaldabaoth."

"You mean... the one who you were desperately trying to save?" Inquired Collei. "The one you would usually talk about when we would ask you about your life before coming here?"

Issei nodded. "The very same, the three of them decided to use their entire being to restore the cycle."

"And so, Rasalhague became a widower with two children that Lazuli left him with."

"The Gem-Knight as a tribe was now extinct."

"And there are no longer any gods in this world."

Issei then sighed.

"... I was the one who was supposed to be sacrificed." Admitted Issei.

He then turned around to see the two teenagers. "And I am glad I wasn't, because I am now here with two children that I am proud of, and two kids who I consider my nephews." He smiled.

"I'm glad I was here, I was here to be able to deal with the Evilswarm remnants that had partially infected you, my dear daughter." As he said this, he hugged his daughter.

Both of the teenagers present smiled at Issei's confession.

"Ah, we've arrived." Declared Issei, realizing they had stopped right in front of Ariel.

Ariel slowly walked towards them with both Ganyu and Tighnari.

Tighnari in particular had a coat on. "Good to see you've finally arrived, you do not know how cold it is here, the breeze of the forest is just too much for me."

"Well, you should get used to it." Cyno said.

"Says the guy who is literally half naked." Tighnari shot back. "Your clothings are doing anything but protecting you from any incoming attack."

"Oh really now? I'm like an all terrain while you're literally a nothing terrain."

"Is that seriously the best you have? Has Hyoudou really destroyed your sense of telling jokes?"

"They're at it again." Collei facepalmed.

Issei decided to ignore the bickering that the two teenagers were having.

It reminded him of Sirius and Betelgeuse, who would have thought both of them were now the best duo when it came to fighting.

He looked at Ariel with a smile, happy to see his wife.

"You're going today, right?" Ariel asked.

"Yes, I am bringing Ganyu and Tighnari as well."

"You don't know how much Tighnari wanted to go to the outskirts."

"Oh, I can tell, the tribes aren't really the best place for him."

Ariel nodded. "Wind and thunder, the very elements of the Gusto Tribe, are quite literally what Tighnari doesn't like."

"And yet, he wants to become a Ritual Beast Tamer."

"The three of them are close." Said Ariel as she looked at Collei, Cyno and Tighnari. "I wish Ganyu was as close to them too."

"Ganyu doesn't have to be like them, she can be her own person, after all, she's closer to Lyran and Altairan." Issei pointed out.

"You're right, it seems I simply wish for her to be closer to the Ritual Beast Tamers."

"I can understand that, both of you stay quite far from the rest of us."

Issei then continued "Though I wish we could see one another more, I thank you for flying between the tribes just to see us regularly."

"I love both of you, I can't leave either of you alone." Issei softly said as he kissed Ariel.

"Bring the children safely once the expedition finishes." Ariel requested.

"We might see Winda's sister alongside the girl who, according to Wynn, looked like you, though they are probably much older now."

"It is to be expected, over 50 years have passed since then, and yet, many of us have yet to grow old."

"We contain Sophia's and Tierra's essence within us, we grow older much slower compared to the others."

"What about our children... they don't have it, right?"

"As far as I know, no."

"Then... will we see them die before us?"

Issei remained quiet for a moment. "...If that's the case... let's make the most of our time with them."

"Take care then." Ariel bid farewell as the group of teenagers and Issei marched to the outskirts.

Issei pat Ganyu's head. "So, how have you been, kid?"

"The same as ever, Tighnari, though still a bit upright when it comes to teaching, has been doing great telling me about how the Ritual Beast Tamers are doing, and as for Cyno..."

"He's... really embarrassing with his jokes."

"That hurts." Cyno commented.

"Sorry about that... but I can understand you though, you have to keep this image of being a serious person so that you continue this facade of being a polite prince... I don't mean this as an insult in any way or form... I simply want to compliment you for what you are doing, I don't know how well I would be doing if I were in your situation..." Apologized Ganyu.

Issei laughed. "There you are at it again, you're quite polite, I'm proud of you."

"Just know that you can be a bit more direct with anyone who you're close with, we won't bite."

Just as he said that, he looked up at the sky.

"Yaldabaoth... I wonder..."

"What would have happened had I gone back to my original world?"

"I am now stuck in the Garden of Eden, or what it has become."

"In a way, you regained your paradise, Yaldabaoth."

"I will keep it safe in your memory."

Issei smiled as he turned towards the group. "Alright kids, let's go to the outskirts, see what adventures we end up stumbling upon!"

The teenagers that were following him cheered as they all started running.

"Life is peaceful nowaday, I no longer need my skills."

"But I will continue honing them, just in case I need to defend my family from any new foe."

"... Yet... if I were to die..."

"What would happen once I die?"

"It matters not, I will make the most of this paradise."

(A/N)

This what if started due to the fact that Cyno literally looks like Avance and Emilia's son, red eyes, white hair and a darker tone of skin are a few of the factors, it doesn't help that Collei reminds me of Winda, which is why I made her Issei's daughter.

Tighnari and Ganyu were sort of added in just to fill a few roles, Tighnari as a new Ritual Beast Tamer while Ganyu as Ariel's and Issei's daughter.

Progress for the next arc is going quite slowly, the main reason for it being that it's so freaking long when it comes to events I want to add in alongside the fact that I've been working on a react fic.

For those in Fanfiction, you can find it in either AO3 or Wattpad. There is also the fact that I also made a Lemon chapter what if related to Arc 2 that isn't in Fanfiction either due to the rules of no MA related content.

Aside from that, I will continue working on 2 chapters of my react fic before I truly finish with the main plan for Arc 4 of this fic. Do keep in mind that I already have Arc 5 written before Arc 4, so the wait for the next Arc after I finish the one I am working is literally a single week.

Also, yes, sooner or later, there will be a continuation of the what ifs in my reaction fanfic, solely because I wanna see how I'll make it when I have Genshin characters there seeing some random teenager turn out to be the father of a few of them in another world.

And that's all I have to say, I'll see y'all next update.