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(please forgive me if any characters are occ~! I tried to mimic their emotions and personality's best I could!)
"So you don't wanna give up huh....How about- this then?!" The blonde cried out as the hoarder pulled her out in front of his body as a living shield. Tears finally flooded her eyes and ran down her cheeks like a river. Her hands held up in front of her scratched up face. The scars along her hands made the dragon stop short.
His eyes went wide at the sight of the girl in front of him. He growled and hissed, threw his tail against the ground; enraged- but the hoarder held fast. and tight. His grip on the girl never loosened, and his triumphant smirk remained plastered on his face like a trophy.
"Oh? You care about this? This little human? This pathetic creature?" The reptilian roared angrily in response and the hoarder chuckled. His knife angling downwards at her throat. The edge of the blade barely cutting her skin and drawing blood. The dragon stood there horrified and angered beyond words.
Horrified, that he was seeing her blood spilled after so many years of protecting her; and rage that such a lowly creature even dared to lay a hand on his precious mortal. The girl whimpered in pain and moved her hands to her sides. Now more than ever, fearing her life. "There's a good lizard. Now let me speak." Begrudgingly. He agreed. "I'm from a lovely organisation that plans to overthrow the king from his pathetic throne." That. That was something he couldn't do. The king had brought him up as a hatchling. Taught him how to exist outside of his own soul- and this human wanted him to- to...Absurd!
"Ah yeah. Now see, you don't get a choice. Either, you help up with our little...project and she goes free. Or." The knife dug deeper into her skin and she cried out. now moving her hands to the hoarders wrist and pulling at it weakly. She must have been drugged. She looked loopy. Out of it. She didn't look like his mortal. Didn't smell like her either. She'd been taken ages ago. This he could tell. and it made him all the more angry.
"We can help you out- with your rat problem." He stared, and stared, and stared. Finally, he brought out something he hadn't used in a while. "You mortal's have truly gotten stupider. What makes you think I won't just fly away without her. and kill you all." "Ah! Now that's a pleasant surprise. you see, we have thought about that. and~"
He pulled what looked to be a dog collar from out of his pocket and held it up. Shaking it in the reptiles direction- almost teasingly. "...you intend to make me into a house pet." "What? Heavens no! We'd never do such a thing! We meant it on this one." The Girl's eyes widened and she looked up in horror. "y-you....Please! mister please! you promised...! You promised I wouldn't go back- you promised..!" "SHUT IT." The man kicked her stomach and she began coughing horribly. "What'll it be dragon-boy. Her- or the kingdom."
"I..." "I-I'll be okay..! You can- can leave me behind..!" "..Absolutely not. Give her here." "I take it you're joining us?" "FUCKING YES. GIVE ME..." He stopped. He'd never even learned her name. And she'd never learned his. She'd been calling him mister, and he'd been calling her mortal...or tiny one... "awwh. Can't even learn the name of a wrench? breaks my heart." The hoarder clipped the collar onto the mortal and kicked her with such force, she was went tumbling into the dragon's claw. He immediately picked her up with one claw and peered at her face in such carefully adapted concern, you'd have thought they'd been together for eons.
"It's name. Is Ajisai." "....Did you say-" "yuh-huh! Same Ajisai from the line of Valeur's that hunted dragons and mythical creatures for mora and sport." He stared down at the girl and she looked on the verge of tears. ".....I have no interest in things like that. Her family name does not. I repeat does NOT. define her as a person."
The hoarder watched him, then laughed. "Hah! Wise choices of words."
A few days later, in a carriage heading to the capital city.
The wheels rattled the wooden prison- or carriage as they called it. and the blonde was curled up happily in one of his scaly arms. Peering out the window with child-like curiosity in her eyes. "...are you- enjoying the view...?" "Mhm! It's nothing compared to back home- but- it's still very pretty! Why didn't you tell me about where you grew up Mister?" "I grew up ages upon ages ago, Ajisai; and I only most recently learned your name. I have spent my past 17 mortal years of life caring for you. A gift I wouldn't have let anyone else have. I wouldn't have remembered such a place with you on my mind." The blonde -Ajisai- hummed for a second then turned her beautiful blue eyes back to him. Staring up at his head with wonder. "You really, truly care about me Mister?" "..Of course." "....does that- technically make you my friend?" "...We became friends long ago. You needn't fear about that." "...okay...okay good!"
She fell silent again, and he spoke up a while later. "A question unanswered is worse than death, Ajisai." "....What'll happen to you when- when I die? Will you remember me? Will you find someone to replace me?" He turned his gaze back down to her in horror. "what...?" "...never-mind. Stupid question." He placed a claw on her head and tapped her skull. Making her look up at him and return his horrifying gaze with a sad one. "....I shall never. EVER. forget about you. I'll remember you for generations upon generations, kingdoms upon kingdoms, eons upon eons-" "...but what about her..do you remember her..?" "....." Of course he. His first ever love.
A goddess. A beautiful woman who carried the weight of the stars on her shoulders, and the light of the stars in her beautiful eyes. Who'd cared for beasts as great as star-devouring dragons and as small as bacteria. He'd started as an entity. Wandering the lands of Teyvat with nothing but consume, conquer and devour; and that goddess. That beautiful, shining, carefree goddess set his soul free from it's shackles and gave him a name. a purpose. a home. a voice. a true meaning. He would have fought at her side for generations, eons, millennia. But all good-things. Came to an end. The great war of calamity. The mothering, caring, gentle yet insane side of the worlds- collided with the gruesome, conquering, burning part of the words. With great brute force they came, and wiped away everything the goddess had done to care for her people. in the midst of the final battle. The goddess- on her last legs. Summoned her soul flame. The very fire that burned at the core of their world. Keeping it alive- and used its essence to purge- the last of the gruesome.
The world stood truly still as he. The greatest soldier the world had ever seen. Weeped. He'd held her body in his arms as her soul was burned from the inside out by her own flame. Her final words. Something that even in his following insanity, he'd never forget. "...my dearest...dearest Alatus....your will and stubbornness to continue to serve me- even in death....shall be your greatest downfall....and your greatest strength...I will forever love you...my brave little solider..." And with her final breath. She'd fallen. The world heard his screams that night. and he swore to never hurt another innocent being again. But unfortunately. Her efforts to purge the Gruesome were in vain. Some survived. and took a festering form in gods and mortals. A god whom held more power than he, was one such creature. He was taken, enslaved and driven to the point, her words were nearly lost in his insanity. But, unfortunately for the god. Another came to his rescue. And raised him as a disciple. Even giving him a name. Xiao. Though his teacher was more draconic, and so he mimicked that. Taking the form of his former lovers two favorite star devourer's. Twin dragons with patterns like the wind and a beautiful dusty teal color.
Years after Teyvat was calm and in peace, (for the most part) the dragon-boy came across something strange. A baby. Left in the middle of the woods as wolf chow. For the first few weeks, he tried finding it a home- but it didn't work. It always returned to the forest as food. And so. One day. He just stopped. He kept the child. Although it was odd to raise a child as a dragon- that never stopped him. He found books, edible food, comfortable clothing- and his personal little gift. a small rabbit toy that never seemed to break. It- Rather her, as he later found out through a friend from ages ago- found her life absolutely wondrous. She scampered about the woods, swam in the rivers, ate the berries- and was (mostly) always home before lessons. He taught her things like languages, mathematics, science- all the basics for humans. and she devoured every single piece. Eventually he'd formed a little library on a platform with taller slabs of rock- and she'd sit there often and read to herself, or to him. and he often found her asleep under his wing after a while of reading. Truly, it was comfortable.
But as I said previously. All good things, come to an end. One day, his precious mortal was gone. He thought nothing of it at first- but she missed lessons for a day. odd...but it had happened before. A second day. Odd again...but nothing worrying. A third day. Now he started to worry. a fourth day. Was she alright? A fifth day. Then he started to panic. He flew out over the forests searching. Flew over town and startled citizens. Returned home to find her- and a large group of hoarders. The leader introduced himself as Ramon and went on a spiel about how he needed Draconic power to overthrow the king, (his secondary teacher and master.) and when he didn't agree- he threatened his mortal. HIS. MORTAL. Fearing her life, he obliged. and now- we return to the current day.
"....Mister....I...don't want you going out there alone.." "I'll be fine, Ajisai. If I can raise you- I'll be able to take on any challenge." He affectionately touched his snout to her head and she giggled. Patting his scales and closing her eyes. Stepping away, she did a small curtsy and looked back up at him. Eyes sorrowful, but determined. "I...I trust you mister..! You'll be able to do this! You can take out any king!!" "...of course. Of course." She grinned and walked towards the closed door, where her guards were standing on the other side. "Ajisai-" She stopped and turned around. An eyebrow quirked in curiosity. "Yes mister?" "...Alatus." "...huh..?" "...My name. Is Alatus."
"they call you-" "I know what they call me. Only when you see me, about to lose my life. Call my name, and pray to the celestial mother." "...the- the celestial mother..?" "Yes. The great goddess in the sky who created all that walks, and all that does not." "...I know who she is but-" "Just do it for me...okay?" "..of course mi- Alatus!" she ran back over and hugged his neck as best she could. Standing on her tiptoes to bury her head in the soft chink of scale she'd worn down from sleeping on, on his side. "..I...care about you...Alatus...please...come back safely." "of course."
"Xiao...?" "Hello, Morax." The Draconian immortals circled each other with different emotions bouncing off their minds like ping-pong balls. "..you- they said they were putting in a challenger for the throne not-" "Look in the stand of the opposing team." The brown and golden dragon did. His eyes narrowing on the blonde being held tightly by the Leading treasure Hoarder Ramon. "That girl. The one with blonde hair and a worried expression." "is she-" "heavens no. That is Ajisai. Ajisai Valeur. She was abandoned as a child in the woods out by the tree inn. I took her in, and have cared for her for 17 years. She's being used as- as a bargaining chip. In order for me to fight against you for the throne. I know that the king in the chair-"
Xiao turned his head and stared at the faux Archon under the shade. "-is not you. But I ask you. Please. Allow me to die a death fit for a solider, and let my mortal live a life inside the palace free from harm. I want her to have whatever she needs or wants- whatever will allow her to live." "...She won't be able to." "WHAT?! WHY." "....You. Her whole life, she has looked up to you as a creature of nothing but purity." "...I just want her to be safe, Morax. Please....Grant me that...." "...I shall. I can tell, you love her." "what..?" "Not romantic. Not platonic. Nothing with anything fancy. What you feel, is simply love. And that is that."
"....Very well. Will you carry my message for her then?" "So I shall." The dragons bowed their heads at each other in respect, before they charged forwards. Claws cut scales, scales chipped scales, teeth were bared and blood was drawn at several points. Tails lashed, elemental power was thrown around like hay- and eventually.... "THE KINGS DRAGON MORAX IS VIC-" The announcement and cheers were cut short as the king's illusion was torn open by a black goop and spilled onto the area. Creatures that resembled slimes poured from the gaping hole, human-like entities followed- with creatures barely resembling dragons pouring from the portal. People screamed and ran for cover, morax tore himself away from the battle to protect his kingdom, the treasure hoarders ran- and Ajisai tumbled 30 feet into the dust, from the viewing box to run for the downed dragon.
"M-mister...? Mister...?!" His ears rung as he barely managed to get his eyes open. In the blurry chaos, he saw his mortal. Teary-eyed and worried. As soon as his eyes opened, she put her arms around his snout and hugged him. Pulling away shortly after to examine him. Though he could barely hear her- he appreciated the thought..."You silly silly old man! How could you be so stupid! you- you...you almost left me..." He closed his eyes again and laid his head down. An explosive shot towards them, and all he could do was cover her up with his wings as the explosion cleared his thoughts....
"...........tus........latus.....Alatus...Alatus..! Alatus!!" He woke up with a start, a pair of hands retreated from his body and he sat up. Back in his...solider form....? "IS THIS SOME KIND OF SICK JO-...ke..." As he turned his head, his world crumbled. There, kneeled beside him, was the very goddess who'd given him his name eons ago. The very same goddess who'd created the stars, the universe, and all that resided in it. The same two star devouring dragons coiled around her arms like snakes. Watching him fondly. "....A-ajamarisa...?" (ah-jar-mari-sa) "...hello, my precious solider....you've done so well..." The same girl he'd been raising for the past 17 years, stepped into view and kneeled down next to the goddess. Taking his hand in hers, she gave him a weak smile and blinked back obvious tears. "..I...I prayed...." They were all here. All together. In the very space the universe had started. A blank page.
He couldn't do anything but cry.