Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The sun had long fallen, The moon taking it’s place and illuminating the world of Teyvat. However, despite the tempting lullabies of the glowing moon, not a single soul would dare fall into the world of slumber.

One single second of laying down their guard, and they would be devoured without a thought of hesitation and humane mercy.

The weather was not merciful either, harsh winds of snow sending numbing pain throughout their body, the only warmth they could cling onto were their dirtied and tattered clothes. Knuckles turning red, skin paling by the second, they could only continue to walk forward.

“Mom? when will we find a home?”

A child, not younger than the age of five, tiredly questions his mother, his eyes on the verge of dropping. For the thousands of years of his travels with his kin, not once have they settled down, in fear of smiteful creatures lurking in the dark, built and created for the sole purpose of manslaughter.

“I’m not too sure, dear. I do hope we’ll find one soon.”

The mother’s voice was dull and ached, tired and on the verge of her own sanity.

She couldn’t understand why her kin, her family, were the ones cursed with the wrath of the gods. each day she searched in her memories for the things they’ve done wrong, the things they could’ve done to anger celestia, but not one thought could come to mind.

a pitiful smile forced it’s way through her dried lips, her pleading eyes staring up at the dancing stars of the skies. she prayed. she begged. she cursed the gods.

what have we done to deserve this?

she asked. clenching her hands with the hopes of at least getting an answer she’d been trying to get since god knows how long. though she already knows deep within, the gods wouldn’t spare her closure.

“we have to keep going, we’re not too far from the peak of the mountain. just hold on a little while longer.”

a soft yet masculine voice pulled her out of her sea of thoughts before she could drown any longer. her husband softly smiled at her, placing a kiss on her forehead before turning his attention back towards their path.

her heart lit up with warmth, however it was not enough to comfort her.

her sunset eyes trailed towards the rest of her family behind them, some barely holding onto life, some carried on the backs of the strongest members. it was a pitiful sight.

children who were supposed to be on playgrounds, running with glee were shivering in the cold robbed of a carefree childhood. elders who were supposed to be by the beachside, enjoying time as it passes by, were pushing their weakened bodies to continue walking through the unforgiving winds.

why? she wondered. why did it have to be us?

and just as she was to take another step, the sound of a branch breaking from the forest startled her.

she freezes, turning her attention towards the source of the sudden noise.

a wild animal?

she prayed it was. being attacked now would mean the death of her entire kin. her hands began to tremble, panic making it’s way through her thoughts. she turned towards her husband, who’s attention, too was caught by the noise. they shared a glace, fear in their eyes common before they turned towards their precious son, then to their family behind them.

they stopped in their tracks, the group behind them following their actions.

“what’s wrong?—”

their question is interrupted by a growl.

dread.

dread was quick to fill their veins.

a demon lurches from the surrounding forest, pouncing on their elderly. The weakest of them.

blood splatters on the snow, the sinful colors of red staining the purity and innocence of white.

screams echo throughout the forest, yet no passerby dared to help.

cries of mercy reached the heavens, yet celestia refused to listen.

more demons jumped from the debts of the forest, joining into the slaughter as the mortals desperately tried to crawl away, to fight, to beg for mercy, but they weren’t spared a single moment before they would be torn into indistinguishable pieces.

the mother, frozen in her place, placed her hands over her son’s eyes.

she meets eyes with her grandmother, the life dying in her eyes as sharpened teeth slashed at her olden skin. there was nothing she could do.

running would be futile. screaming for help would be futile. begging the gods would be futile.

there was no light by the end of this suffocating tunnel.

guilt seeped into her thoughts and she averted her eyes away.

she catches the movement of a salamander within the blood stained bushes, the fierce red and black scales shielded it from the harsh of the cold. she smiled, blocking out the screams of her loved ones, her hearing now replaced with a dull ringing.

“what are you doing here little creature? you must run. run far away. run until you’re sure your legs are to collapse.” her voice broke, barely loud enough to be called a whisper as the salamander only gazed up at her in wonder

perhaps it was seeing her own kind’s slaughter that drove her mad, or perhaps it was the sound of her son crying, the son who she once dreamed to raise and watch over until he’s sure enough to have a life of his own.

“im sorry.” she sobbed, looking down at her son. “im so sorry—”

apologies are interrupted by the flicker of a flame, soon spreading with the fuel of their hate. Words, that of a god's, echoes along the hums of the winds. "I've heard your prayers and I've acknowledged your pain." Nine simple words and it was enough to keep them pushing, to keep holding on for there was finally sunlight in the middle of this thunderstorm of pain.

her mouth is agape and her eyes are widened at the sight of her sparked hatred swallowing each and every demon.

their screeches and screams of perish are melodies to her ears and the sight of a few surviving family is what pulls her out of her trance.

she dared not question the sudden burst of flames, and instead focused on getting back into a rational state of mind before tending to the surviving family members. (and fortunately, her husband was one of the few to survive.)

pushing away the moment to mourn for her fallen loved ones, she rushed to her bloodied beloved, his arms barely recognizable from the rivers of blood washing over his skin and falling to the ground.

“is our son alright?” the husband asked the mother, scanning over her figure for even the smallest signs of injury before heaving a relieved sigh to find none.

the mother turned her gaze down to the distraught boy in her arms, still shaking. though his sight had been blocked, his ears did not block out the screams of his loved ones. why’s this happening? he whimpered below his thoughts.

with a sorrowful sigh, the mother nodded, “well, he’s alright. but i don’t think he’ll be able to sleep quite well after hearing their screams.”

no words were exchanged after that, their focus steadied on the five-year-old boy whose body only continued to shake with fear. his eyes remained close in fright, even with both encouraging and reassuring words from his parents, he stubbornly kept them close.

just before they could utter out anymore words, they are interrupted by surprised gasps.

turning their attention to the direction of surprised noises, they are surprised by the sight of a woman, covered in silk robes of red and white, several royal striped out accented gold by the ends of the fabric, standing in the middle of their group. her eyes gazed protectively at the mother’s remaining family members, her smile as gentle as the lulling symphonies of a zephyr. (but, if you squint hard enough, you’d see the slight confusion in her eyes.)

“w-who is that?” the mother stuttered over her words, her eyes staring back into (e/c) eyes that seemed to gaze right through her thoughts.

“she transformed from the vessel of a salamander.” her aunt spoke from beside her, her arm bandaged securely. “do you think she’s a god from celestia?” she hopefully questioned her niece, eyes shining in awe.

“w-was the salamander by chance the color of red and black?” the mother questioned, sweat beginning to pour from her pores. she was on the verge of dying from embarrassment and the confirmation would be the last push.

“yes, it was a rather eye-catching salamander might i say.” the older woman confirmed.

she did not respond after that, only beginning to reimburse her life after a shameful recalling of a memory.

———

after a short while of tending aid to the rest of the members, they continued their journey towards the peak of the mountain. though they had a god by them, they weren’t too keen on finding their camp still lively and alive after the sudden ambush.

“she hasn’t spoken the whole time, do you think she’s really a god?”

“shush! remember that we are mere mortals.”

you ignored their (not so hushed) whispers of suspicions and only continued to follow them, your eyes scanning the environment for anymore signs of danger. though you were sure those demons were the last of them, one could never be too careful.

it wasn’t long until they reached their camp, relieved to find the rest of their kin alive and well.

of course, that was your doing. you had stumbled across their camp much earlier and early enough the prevent their deaths, however you couldn’t say you were fast enough to reach the travelling group. by the time you got there, a significant number had already been slaughtered. (and a desperate, yet hopeless looking woman had told you to run away.)

“thank goodness everyone is safe. quickly, we must move before—”

“there’s no need for that, that woman saved us before we were ambushed.”

your eyes trailed towards one of the elders who pointed at you while conversating with the mother. you quickly pretended as if you didn’t see her pointing at yourself. you weren't too educated in the etiquettes of gods, nor would you know what to expect when you tell them you are not a celestial being.

and to your utmost horror, they began walking to you in one group, expectant looks in their faces. sweat accumulated on your skin, the uncomfortable feeling settling on the edges of your skin as you stood frozen in your place, wishing someone would help you.

they smiled and spoke words of genuine gratitude one by one, giving you what you well-recognized as sunsettias, wolf hooks, and other edible plants you’d remember collecting when you travelled across the lands of Teyvat. you took them with an awkward smile on your face, nodding your head lightly at each person.

after receiving every gift, they still continued to stand around you, circling you in what seems to be genuine curiosity.

a deep breath makes its way to your lungs, forcing yourself to muster up the courage to -–somehow—tell them that you were not a god. that you weren't someone who was destined to save them.

"I..." you began, racking through the countless words on your mind, "Am not your god."

Silence follows after your declarations, anxiety filling your thoughts as hour-long seconds pass by. they gasped, worry filling their eyes as they grasped at each other's warmth in alert.

one by one, they nodded at each other, as if communicating without words. you stood, confused and worried for their answer.

"but you're the one who's saved us!"

"out of the centuries, you're the only one who's come to protect us from the demons.!

they continued to insist, telling you more words of gratefulness. a silent sigh leaves your lips at their stubbornness, debating whether to leave them by sunrise, or staying by their side until they've properly settled in peace.

Chapter Text

After a few moments of conversing with a few of the Kin's groups, you all tuck yourselves in the warmth--the tiniest bit-- of the tents to sleep off the stress for the next few hours of the night. They had forced you into the biggest and most comfortable tent—despite your protests. Now you are huddled amongst comfortable blankets, thoughts wondering about as the crackling of flames from outside slowly lulling you to sleep.

Then, a question carves itself onto your mind. how had you gotten yourself into this situation?

You remember waking up in the middle of a fire filled forest, flashes of scenes running through your mind, a migraine following right after. You remember watching a city of stars caving in of itself, destruction ongoing through every corner as people scream for mercy. You remember watching God-like beings sitting on thrones with shameful emotions whirling in their eyes. You remember encountering a blonde, rage flowing through his eyes, sword in hand as he screams for sympathy.

The rest is a blur, your mind still working on processing whatever you'd just gone through. But you're sure the last thing you set your eyes on is a woman, pale skin, royally white hair, and eyes that seemed to darken with alarm.

You sigh, placing an arm over your eyes, blankets shuffling under your movements. Were those memories? You ponder. Perhaps tellings of the future? If so, would the land of Teyvat meet an inevitable destruction? The thought sent chills through your bones. To think that a land, full of so many wonders and mysteries yet to be solved and discovered, would be sent into mass destruction and genocide.

But perhaps those were mere nightmares and nothing more. Everything within your being told you that was not the case, but still, you'd like to hope it wasn't. it brought a tiny sense of comfort when you'd convince yourself they were only nightmares.

Your eyelids close before you can notice, and you are pulled into the land of slumber.

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The singing of the birds awaken you, along with the harsh rays of sunset that seeped through the fabrics of the tent you slept in.

A raspy groan leaves your lips as you push your body up from the sheets, a whip of coldness making you pull them up to wrap around your figure. Your eyes are still half-closed, your body tired and sore from the uncomfortable position you unfortunately slept in.

There are footsteps and hushed whispers from outside, indicating that the odd—dying kin you'd saved the previous day were fully awake.

You sigh, forcing your body to stand, the blanket slipping from your shoulders . The cold pricked at your skin, even when the lovely sun would be high up in the sky, basking itself in full glory.

Once you step out of the tent, you're greeted by smiles and good mornings, contrary to the gloomy atmosphere you expected before moving out. Their loved ones had just been slaughter yesterday, of course. You inwardly frowned, had they even allowed themselves to mourn their losses?

"good morning." is what you answer them with, deciding not to press the matter on. Perhaps this was just their odd way of coping. The snow crushed under your boots as you walked around the camp observing as each person rushed to help one another.

"Please, have some soup. It will warm your body up."

You graciously take the soup with a smile of gratitude, "thank you."

Taking the spoon in one hand and holding the bowl in the other, you scoop the well-seasoned meal, gleaming in delight once the flavors dance around your tastebuds. It was certainly better than the sunsiettas you'd bite into every five minutes before meeting them. Before you could notice, the bowl in your hand is already empty, the remnants all being digested within your eager stomach. You frown to yourself, looking around to see if you'd be able to get any refill. You're delighted when you see a group of people in line, getting their soups refilled as well. You trudge towards the end of the line, bowl in hand.

The person in front of you turns once they notice your presence, a gleaming smile on their face. They didn't seem to be older than the age of 20. perhaps they're in their late teens?

"hello." you greet, lightly bowing your head along with your words. Her cheeks grow flustered, hands shooting up to flail around. You fight the small laugh that gets caught up in your throat, finding her actions rather cute. "h-hello, miss—I-I mean, your highness!" her eyes comically turned into panicked swirls. "I am not of royalty, you can call me anything aside those titles." you smile softly, in hopes of getting her to calm down.

She nods, though there is still a tiny bit of panic in her eyes. It isn't long before she arrives at the front of the line, with you following after.

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"Where are you—we heading to?" you question one of the men, patting down your clothes in hopes of removing the snow. You'd ended up playing in the snow with the children after eating your fill of breakfast.

"Some of ours spotted a fresh lake down the mountain. We'll be setting up camp nearby there." he answers sternly, but the smile on his face assures you he isn't as upset as he sounds. You open your mouth to say something, but someone calls for his name and he excuses himself before leaving. You watch his retreating back, playing with your fingers.

You search around for anyone else who wasn't busy, hoping perhaps one of their soldiers would be free so you'd be able to ask a question. It was only today that you had noticed the fact that they had soldiers among them, so it would be alright to leave them, right? You sigh, finding yourself feeling conflicted. One part of you wanted to leave and the other wanted you to stay and protect them. And by far, the latter has been winning over your heart. You couldn't leave them. Not after hearing their cries and their screams. Not after they finally have someone to help them find peace.

But you didn't even know if you were strong enough to protect them. Demons have been evolving further and with time, they grow stronger. If you ever one day fail to keep them from harm's way, you wouldn't know how to look them in the eye when they knock on death's door, and you're the one to open the damned door from the other side.

You sigh, shaking your head before continuing to look around once more, pleased to see one of the elders standing alone. You walk towards the aged man, trying not to look nervous as you do and greet him with a smile once your only a few steps before him. "Good morning." he smiles back in return, "Good morning. Is there something you want to ask of me, your highness?"

You internally groan at the way he addresses you, "Yes, I was hoping that I could know how you travel as a whole."

"oh, do you perhaps mean what group are divided and where they place?"

You nod in response, "yes."

"We elders take place in the front along with our soldiers, women and children are placed behind us, and our strongest kin will be placed at the very back." he shortens the otherwise long explanation, only continuing to smile when you don't respond.

You take a moment to think, placing a hand on your chin. The formation itself wasn't too awful, but with how the nature of demons are, they are put in a great disadvantage. If they had placed the elders to the very front along with their whole troop, then the last two groups would be in danger--their whole bloodline would be in danger. Demons were cunning creatures, often opting to play dirty as long as it would get human flesh into their mouths, and one of their favorite tactics were attacking from behind. If their strongest members were to be at the very back, they'd still be devoured and the kin's last layer of protection would be shattered.

The women and children being placed in the middle wasn't too bad of a choice as it would increase a chance of escape. With the demons being busy with eating the elders and the soldiers, they could mark their choice and run. But their placements wouldn't matter when the demons are attacking in great number.

You sigh, pinching the bridge of your nose. They would definitely need a new formation to travel in. There were several, definitely much better alternatives, but several could easily be numbered down to one given the kin's number of surviving people. If they had more than enough skilled troops, they could be stationed around the formation along with their strongest members who weren't soldiers. The elders, women, and children could be placed in the center. But if they lacked, the only choice you had was to place soldiers around the formation regardless or number and have them immediately alert you of when a demon would attack. But that would lead to greatly depending on your fire power, and you weren't sure of how much you could depend your lives on it yourself.

You decide to gamble and go with the latter, anxiously tugging at each of your fingers as you excuse yourself before leaving to find whoever would be leading the group.

"Gather 'roud yall! Time to move down the mount'n!" a feminine voice catches your attention, her thick accent piquing your interest. It was the first time you had heard an accent like hers, so you wondered if she was from another family line. You walk towards her, the sounds of your footsteps making her turn towards you. "Oh, it's you! Yer the one who saved my folks yesterday right? Thanks a bunch!" she grins before hocking an arm around your neck once you were close enough. You gawk at her informality. It made you relieved that there was someone who wouldn't refer to you as a god.

"It's no problem. I was hoping we could rearrange the usual arrangement?" you ask, your voice pitching up towards the end of the question.

She stares at you for a while before nodding, the grin still plastered on her lips. "Sure! Whaddya have in yer mind?" her hands move up to rest on her hips as she shifts her weight to one foot. The polearm on her back doesn't go unnoticed by you and neither does the flaming red color of her hair.

You smile at her before proceeding to tell her about your proposal, answering the occasional questions she'd ask whenever she didn't understand something. By the end of it, she's as bright as the sun and immediately instructs the other troops to inform their kin of the new arrangement. "phew! I can't believe we hadn't thought of that yet!" she states, a short laugh coming from her lips after. She had a rather bright personality, and you weren't all too irritated by it. "Come to think of it, we haven't exchanged names yet. My name's ( y/n )." you raise your hand, gesturing for a handshake. "I'm Istas! Leading commander." the red-head gingerly shakes your hand. "well, let's not waste time here, if everyone's ready to go, let's begin the journey!"

Her family members cheer, getting into slightly huddled groups with several men surrounding them, weapons hovering on their back.

Chapter Text

The cold is as relentless as you'd hoped it would be, but by now, you've grown to feel the warmth in it. The stinging pain it brings your skin, you've learned to embrace like hugging a blanket full of needles. The cold has become your heat, your companion, and your friend. It would almost feel unusual not to have snowflakes melting on your skin.

Your feet crunch on the snow, leaving countless footprints that would soon disappear with a single wind blow. A thousand pair of feet follow yours, each print a different size, a different story. It was an odd thing. This footprints were engraved into your mind. One thing that voice at the back of your head told you was that these prints would be the last proof of your travels, so would the bloodstains be when you meet death and debate him with lies. 'A shame, really.' the voice told you, 'It's a shame these last signs of existence would be brushed and buried under another pile of snow.' your brows furrow. You wanted to tell her no lives would be lost today. You wanted to tell her about the sights your 'people' would see after you've rid all things that pose danger to them. You'd see the way they'll smile when they see the sun sinking below the horizon, or perhaps they'd get to see a beautiful creak below a high cliff, tempting and welcoming.

But you know it is just you feeding yourself lies. You know they'll eventually find their own god, and that parting from them would be inevitable. But just for the meantime, you'd like to watch over them.

It feels like days have passed since you've all embarked on your journey down the mountain, but you know it has only been a few hours. You only hope you'll finally arrive in the next camp within the next few minutes. The hairs on your skin have stayed up, goosebumps running up and down your spine. You felt uneasy. "Are we near?" you breathe out, a mist leaving your lips as you turn to Istas, her red hair dancing with the wind as she turns to you with the usual cheerful smile, it burns your heart with warmth to see her to exited. Most definitely a big contrast to everyone else's expressions. You wondered why she was so bright.

"Don't worry, we're near alright, I see the lake already!" she answers your question, pointing north, where are lake was seen. The only odd thing? The whole lake was not frozen. Not a single sign of sheer coldness could be seen around its surroundings too. The grass around it was not a pale blue color as one would assume, it was a bright sunny green. You feel confusion arise within you. There were no signs of warmth nor fire around or in the lake, so why was everything surrounding the body of water not affected by the cold?

"It's just as they said, the lake isn't one bit frozen!" Istas glees, visibly stopping herself from running off ahead, knowing it would worry her family is she did. While she was known around the kin for being a strong woman indeed, she was still living and breathing. She'd still feel pain. And in their eyes, they saw the grown woman still as a young child, running and discovering more about the world. She might trip on a stone, or fall down a steep hill and gain fresh wounds over her already scarred skin. They know she'd whine and tear up as they rub medicinal herbs on said wounds, trying to crawl away while ignoring they way they tell her it's so that it'd heal faster.

Everyone hurries bit by bit as they get closer to the said lake, drowning in anticipation and curiosity.

The children walk as near as they can to the lake while the adults set up their camp, loud noises soon overtaking the environment. You decide to help with the grownups and investigate on the lake later. It was better to get camp set-up before dawn. Demons are much more active when the sun begins to set after all.

With a huff, you motivate yourself and begin to pound the nails into the soils of Teyvat. These tents need to be grounded to withstand a possible snowstorm. 

It's night, the winds have uncharacteristically died down and everyone else is in deep slumber. Well, except you. The worries of having demons suddenly attack keeps you fueled and awake, sitting by the shoreline of the lake. The light of the stars reflect on the water, giving you another source of light that's not the burning torches placed nearby the firmly grounded tents. 

A shooting star catches your gaze, the moving star glowing as it falls down to wherever it wished to go. You make a silent wish, praying it would come true before looking back down at the lake, expecting to see the reflection of the burning star, but you're met with the same sight of a million stars, unmoving. You raise an eyebrow, looking back up, the shooting star still slowly falling. (seems like it was a far distance.)

"what the…" you make a confused noise, reaching to dip your whole arm into the water. It's warm, almost like it's warm enough to be a hot spring, but there are live fish around, so the chances of it being a hot spring wasn't possible. It reaches your shoulders, but you feel air at the tips of your fingers, like it's above land…below the water? Slightly waving your fingers around, you instinctively pull your hand back when a sudden burning sensation pierces through your whole body. You hiss, caressing your biceps as the pain slowly subsides, burn marks slowly fading into your skin.

"What was that…?" you ask no one in particular —not like you had anyone close by and awake to ask.

You want to reach once more, but your instincts tell you death would knock on the doorsteps of your soul before you could feel for that air under the water once more. A thousand questions makes itself known in your mind, nothing and no one else here not having the ability to answer each and everyone of them. All you can do is block them out before they eat you alive. You'd hope you'll get an answer to whatever had just happened to you, but something in your soul tells you, you'd sleep better if you stayed ignorant.