Chapter Text
Life.
The most sacred gift that the heavens could bestow. At least that's what everyone had always told you, and yet you couldn't help but wonder how this blood splatter and constant war, the taking of life, could be justified if such a statement were to be true.
It was no lie that in recent years there had been more and more unrest among the gods of Teyvat, some searched to ascend onto one of the seven seats in Celestia's garden as the 'supreme' of the gods, others simply wanted to protect their people who had gotten caught up in this celestial war, and yet some were simply trying to live their life away from it all.
You, however, only ever knew serving Morax as one of his Adepti, a group of illuminated beasts and gods alike that had agreed to a contract with the god of geo, for all of your life. Fighting for the good of others was all you had ever known, and you were growing tired of it.
You were the goddess of love, desire, prosperity and a minor domain in victory. While fighting wasn't exactly in your blood, it wasn't like you were bad at it. Quite the opposite, if you had wished it, surely you could've taken one of the seven seats, surely you could've become one of the seven archons, but you did not.
You wished for peace, for humanity to prosper, to see love bloom and happiness to swell within the human empires. You wished to see all of it.
And thus, even against the wishes of your other dear adepti friends, you resigned from the contract you'd signed with Morax, who with all the well wishes and a promise to meet again over a glass of osmanthus wine, let you go.
And thus the whispers on the wind carried you across the nations of Teyvat. From Inazuma to Sumeru to Mondstadt, you travelled across the seven nations, experiencing the different customs, befriending it's different people. And while you'd always end up returning to Liyue, even if just to spar with Alatus, hang out with the Yaksha and Adepti, or drink wine with Morax. Until eventually you came across a small wind spirit in the regions of Mondstadt.
Once again, alongside this wind spirit, a nameless bard and a red knight, you'd take up your weapon once again to fight against a tyrant and dethrone him.
Loss.
A peculiar feeling that went along with life. One did not exist without the other amongst the world of mortals. And a feeling you'd grown accustomed to in your long life. Being immortal had it's downsides, and the loss of people dear to you was certainly one of it.
Thus you could do nothing but watch and grief alongside the wind spirit as the nameless bard passed to fatal wounds in this revolution against tyranny.
Years passed.
The wind spirit, once resembling a almost Seelie like tiny blob of life became the Anemo Archon, the god of winds, Barbatos. At first when Barbatos had taken the nameless bard's appearance, you had felt weird, disconnected almost, but in time you grew used to it. And perhaps because you had seen how lonely the wind spirit turned god had been, you had stayed for many years to come.
Until a call for help had called you to Sumeru.
The archon war was cruel and long, while fighting along your journey had been sparse, your skills had remained as sharp as they had always been, your movements filled with graceful lethality.
Many of your friends had been on this battlefield as well, fighting alongside you and the future god you'd been aiding.
Morax with his impenetrable shields, Barbatos with winds as sharp as the edges of the swords that were wielded in battle, the Yaksha and Adepti with a will of steel and battle arts of old, and many more.
It was a legendary battle, one that future generations would only ever be able to read about.
And then something pierced your chest. It barely registered at first, until your vision blurred from an intense white-hot throbbing pain and your foot slipped. Albeit the hit had missed your heart, it was still very much a life-threatening wound.
A shriek pierced the air, guilt ridden and panicked as you kept falling, limbs suddenly too weak to catch yourself with the usual grace.
For a mere moment, time seemed to slow down. There was a cacophony of screams and yells, some grief stricken, others alarmed. Someone called your name, and from the corner of your brightly glowing (e/c) eyes, you saw someone reaching for you as if making to catch you, but before they could get close to you, time resumed it's usual speed, causing you to plummet off of the cliff you'd been bravely fighting on and into the looming darkness below.
As your gaze dulled and darkened, you found it trailing upwards to the darkening skies above, as if the heavens were grieving your impending loss, and found yourself disbelieving once again.
The magic you'd felt hit you had felt familiar, the betrayal stinging even now as you fell to your doom, causing a want for vengeance to bloom within your chest unbridled.
An explosion above caused thousands of rocks and clutters of debris and dirt to follow your fall, surely to bury you beneath, never to be found.
It was then you decided you didn't want to die.
Sitting atop the back of a giant feathered bird and soaring across the skies as you ran your fingers through the feathers that ranged across a soft amber to a bright golden palette, a feeling of freedom filling your chest and meeting intelligent, glowing yellow eyes as your delight grew.
Your eyes were growing heavier.
The soft brush of the wind tussling your (h/l) hair in various directions, before the breeze caressed your cheek ever so gently. You had turned your head to joyful laughter as an ever familiar figure ran towards you energetically.
Your breaths slowed.
Sitting opposite Morax, you held the cup of tea gracefully in your hand, when your eyes suddenly fixated upon a bright red maple leaf sailing from the tree above before settling on the stone table before you. As you gazed upon the leaf thoughtfully, and pondered it's symbolism, you heard amused laughter echoing from your dearest friend, causing yourself to chuckle as well.
Your eyes closed.
An enthusiastic laugh bubbled forth from your younger selves lips as you rushed up the dandelion hill, weaving between the fragile flowers and sending most of their seeds flying across the air. As you finally reached the summit you came to a stop, sparkling smile upon your lips as you gazed upon the non-human woman before you, her features so similar to your own. "Welcome home, mother!"
And so you slept.