Work Text:
Of what was once is
Hilichurl Wei, the rarest among hilichurls. He was a peace-loving beauty of the hili race. He wanders through the land Teyvat, here one day and gone the next like the breath of anemo, a fleeting breath of what was once is.
He was welcomed by the people, the gods and most importantly the slimes. Oh slimes. Their gelulous bodies of sticky galore, like a round Turkish delight, to be savoured and beheld as the glory of what was once is.
Such sumptuous beasts had never been seen before, a rare mutation, one unique to the slimes and slimes only. You may ask, what Wei finds so…attractive about these beasts of God. The answer is simple. Wei was a deity of what was once is.
Today, oh slimes, let us sit a while, praise the Wei, the father ,the emperor, and listen to the adventures of what was once is.
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5000 years ago, when the jelly storms had yet to descend over the mainland, and the depth of our knowledge barely reached the corner of our palms, hilichurl Wei flicked back his long luscious white hair, packed his gems and cabbages and set off to explore the unknowns of what was once is.
Each step of his was weighed down by the burden of his decisions, as if he was walking through thick, sweet jelly. The journey of his was up to fate and fate alone. Regardless of what happens this was no longer his home. And so he shook off the burdens as if unattaching the shadows from his feet, he bore the wings of freedom and took a step into what was once is.
The first leg of his journey, to crawl out of the Abyss. It was difficult when Wei was there, but in hindsight, may have been the easiest step of his journey. Still aided by his weightlessness of freedom, he faced the dark cliff which towered over him. He gulped, adrenaline. coursing through his body like little Turkish delights. He reached out a hand, grabbed a jutting rock and hosted himself up. The first step. The first of many. His muscles rippled as he effortlessly started to scale the cliff. Out of nowhere, a crane sped out, it's long beak glinting insidiously in the dim light, and started furiously attacking him. Wei knew this was a sign to never leave the abyss but he ignored it. Taking out his gems, he invented his first attack of many, throw the primogems. The crane was defeated with ease and he continued to climb to what was once is.
However, this was not the end of his turmoil. About half way up, his body already aching, something horrendous occurred. Like the thunder of Baal, his stomach grumbled. Grrr. The blood drained from his face as the rumble resonated through his body, like the ripples of a river after a stone was thrown. He was hungry. Taking a hand off the cliff face, he reached into his pocket to grab a cabbage but his hand felt nothing. The cabbage was gone. It must have fallen to the depth of the chasm, never to be seen again. Wei Struggled to compose himself. The overwhelming waves of grief crashed into his tired body as his hands started slipping, it was all to much for him. A glistening tear rolled down his worn face as he clung back onto the cliff. No, he told himself. I must not give up here. I am hilichurl Wei, the unusual hilichurl, the coolest among cool and I will explore the upper world. Pulling himself together, he resumed his journey, body aching, stomach grumbling, to adventure to what was once is.
Day after day, night after night, hilichurl Wei climbed and climbed. At times he fell, but he picked himself back up. Sometimes he starved for days on end, eating nothing but the grass with a garnishing of dirt. After months of climbing, he was almost there. The morning sun peeked over the cliff top and hilichurl Wei basked in its warm rays. He was so close. Mustering up the last of his energy, he hoisted himself up, keeping a steady hold of his luggage, and he vaulted over onto the top of the cliff. The sun hit him fully for the first time in his life and he shuddered in its warm rays. His eyes slowly adjusted to the bright light and he opened his eyes to the world of what was once is.