Chapter Text
Before he died, Ciel had been a Psychology student.
As for why that particular fact was relevant — he wasn't very certain. It just felt like the kind of thing one could say to introduce themself. It was like how someone could go, ‘Hi, I'm a Chemistry major’ or ‘Hi, I think mango on pizza is the absolute best’: it immediately gave one a faint idea of who the other person was, whether they liked it or not.
(The sense of self — what was it, really? There were far too many things to understand about a single individual. Packing it all into a single sentence could be a nigh impossible task.)
There was a lot he could say about what his life had been before he'd died. But in the end, he settled on this one sentence: He was Ciel, and he had been a Psychology major before he died.
Yes, died.
He had, quite unceremoniously, been hit by a truck.
A truck.
The most unoriginal way to go. He was almost insulted.
Still, he was dead — there was no doubt about it. He had felt his bones snap as the truck bore down on him with all its weight and speed. His body had been flung across the highway like a toy chucked away by a wailing toddler; he had felt the life leave his body like a string being cut.
But the thing was, after dying, he had expected to be gone . Kapoot. Poofed from existence.
Not…
“There you are,” the blonde traveler said cheerfully, his golden eyes sparkling. He waved him over, and Ciel reluctantly drifted to his shoulder. “Today’s another day — let’s go!”
That’s right.
Ciel had died.
And he had inexplicably been transported to the world of Genshin… as a Seelie.
…Ah, he really missed having hands.
First day as a Seelie.
On his first day as a seelie, Ciel had been found by an extremely confused Aether.
Ciel couldn’t blame him for being so confused. After all, he had just appeared by Aether’s pack overnight. He couldn’t speak, nor could he hold a pencil, so he couldn’t tell the traveler about his identity and origins. So as far as Aether knew, Ciel was just an odd Seelie that had decided to latch onto him and follow him on his journey.
…Sadly, the reality wasn’t very far off.
Ciel had absolutely no clue how he had ended up on Tevyat.
One moment, he was dead. The next, he was a squishy-bodied little thing whose primary mode of communication was unintelligible squeaks and hums.
The twists and turns of life were really astounding.
But given what he knew of the Seelie race, Ciel had hope.
The Seelie were the withered remnants of a bygone race that once dwelled among humans; a race that had most likely been guardian figures. Ciel knew as much. Seelie had now regressed to these forms and were very unlikely to make a comeback, but given the unlikelihood of his little isekai trip into Tevyat, it wouldn’t be too much of a stretch to hope that he’d be able to defy this… curse that had befallen the Seelie and gain a human form, right? After all, Seelie were said to have lost their wisdom, but Ciel’s mind felt perfectly intact. He could still list off the parts of the human brain by heart, for example.
(Did Tevyat humans have the same brains as Earth humans? He wondered…)
At least his Seelie body was dark blue, though — like the color of the sky at dusk. He quite liked that color.
Ciel backflipped happily in the air.
First Week as a Seelie.
It wasn’t long before Ciel found a rather big problem.
It was when Aether was telling the Seelie about his sister, Lumine.
“She would have loved exploring this world,” Aether said, looking downcast. He was sitting on a log, taking a break from their relentless traveling. A week had passed after he had first found Ciel. He had slowly come to regard the Seelie as his companion, often talking to him or confiding in him about his confusion, about his perplexion with the world. Ciel was (as always) floating on the air by his shoulder, trying to make his squeaking noises sound as sympathetic as possible. He was doing quite a pathetic job of it.
He really missed being able to speak.
Aether looked at Ciel, his golden eyes sad. “Have you seen her, Squishy? Do you know where she is?”
(Yes, the traveler had taken to calling him by that infernal name, no matter how many times Ciel tried to squeak in protest. The first thing he was going to do once he regained his human form was rag on Aether for his naming choices, he swore it.)
When Ciel (predictably) only gave a muted squeak, Aether sighed, giving a reluctant smile. “Yeah…I know. It was silly of me to ask. You probably can’t understand me, anyway.”
Ciel squeaked indignantly. He understood perfectly, thank you very much. It wasn’t his fault that this damned body couldn’t pronounce a damned vowel if it tried. But of course, all that came out of him was a “ Squeak squeak sque-squeeeeak !”
“I hope she’s alright, wherever she is,” Aether said mournfully. He looked so sad that Ciel wanted to punch a wall. The traveler in-game had always been a silent protagonist; his emotions were rarely showcased so vividly, so colorfully like now. Seeing a character he used to control on a screen moving, breathing, and talking right in front of him gave Ciel a bunch of mixed feelings that he didn’t know what to do with.
So, he tried, once again, to speak. He wanted to tell Aether that Lumine was fine , she was just–
The Seelie paused mid-backflip.
Wait.
Where was Lumine?
A foreboding feeling crept into Ciel’s heart as his mind started frantically whirling.
He should know where Lumine was.
He should know how the game ended. He felt it. He felt it down to his very bones. He had died about a week after the final main quest of the game was released. It had been a rather emotional time; he had been playing the game for a long time, after all, and seeing it finally coming to an end felt like he was parting with a world that had welcomed him for so long.
He had played through all the quests. He should know how the game ended, whether Aether and Lumine ever managed to reunite.
Yet all he could remember was the prologue of the game — the moment when the traveler was telling Paimon about how the siblings were separated by the heavenly principles, forced to wander the world of Tevyat without each other.
Ciel gave a long “ squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeak ” of frustration and alarm.
“Squishy? Squishy? What’s wrong?”
My memories of the game are gone , Squishy– no, Ciel wanted to say. My memories of the damned future are gone. I’m about as useful as a piece of cabbage in a den of lions.
But of course, all that came out was a series of squeaks that had Aether staring in confusion.
“Are… are you hungry?”
…Ciel wanted to die again.
Second week as a Seelie.
It was an odd sensation; that of having your memories missing. He knew that they should be there, knew that they had been there, but whenever he reached out, they continued to evade him, slipping through his fingers like fog and smoke. He knew that Genshin had been a game in his world — he refused to regard this world as a game; the consequences of thinking that he was the only living, breathing, sentient entity in such a vibrant world were not things that he wanted to invoke — but he couldn’t for the life of him remember the plot.
He possessed general knowledge: he knew that Mondstadt was the city of wind and song; Liyue was the city of geo; Inazuma the city of lightning; and so on and so forth. But when it came to the characters and their lives, to the future and its events…
He was completely blank.
Damn.
Ciel restlessly twirled in the air.
His favorite characters? Gone. His favorite quests? Nada. Ciel knew that he had loved the characters of genshin; he had cried over a good many world quests as well, and had mentally cursed out the devs for making a story so, so sad , but– he couldn’t remember what they were about. It was like all his personal memories of the game had been blocked by a wall of fog.
Even Paimon — though they had yet to meet her — would be more useful than Ciel. At least she could speak .
It was… it was frustrating. And a bit frightening. A part of him had been taken away, without his consent.
What was the point of his isekai, if his memories were going to be wiped, anyway? Would he be able to change anything? Did he want to change anything? What if he only made things worse? His thoughts restlessly whirled about, so much that even Aether soon noticed his distress.
“Are you alright?” The traveler asked. He was getting ready to sleep, having fashioned out a kind of bed for himself on the grass under a massive tree. Ciel was floating deflatedly in the air not far from him, looking as depressed as a Seelie was capable of. A crackling fire burned not far from them, soaking them in warmth amongst the cold winds.
Ciel only gave a mournful squeak in response.
Aether hummed. Shadows danced across his face in the crackling firelight. “You’ve been looking off, lately,” he said. “Is something on your mind?”
My memories of the future are gone and I’ve lost practically all the leverage I had. I’m a Seelie. No one understands what I’m trying to say. I’m doing wonderfully.
Ciel backflipped in reply.
Aether grinned, then sighed. “I really wish I knew what you were saying,” he said. “But I just wanted to say — thank you for traveling with me. It would have been lonely, traveling alone.”
Ciel was silent for a moment. Then he settled onto Aether’s shoulder, trying to make his squeaks as comforting as possible. Aether patted his head. “Thank you,” the traveler repeated, his eyes wistful. “Now, let’s go to sleep.”
He wasn’t quite sure if Seelies needed to sleep, but Ciel certainly did — because he and Aether were knocked out to sleep not a few minutes later, sleeping quietly under a starry-filled sky.
Third week as a Seelie.
Ciel was going stir crazy.
Try as he might, he couldn’t recall the plot of the game after the scene where Aether told Paimon about how he had gotten separated from Lumine. He had long given up, and had resorted to reciting a simplified summary of the mechanics of the reward pathways of the brain as a distraction.
First, the Ventral Tegmental Area, or VTA, would release neurotransmitters called ‘dopamine’. The dopamine would then go through the mesolimbic pathways and the mesocortical pathways, towards the dopamine receptors of the nucleus accumbens, amygdala, hippocampus, and prefrontal cortex. The amygdala and the hippocampus are notably connected to each other–
And so on and so forth.
Ciel felt a bit proud. Although it was basic psychology, he felt it was quite the feat to be able to recite from memory even after dying and being thrown into the body of a Seelie. His former professors would be pleased.
Ciel floated by Aether’s shoulder as he walked, feeling quite chuffed. Heh, so what if he was a Seelie? He was still a rather smart Seelie! Surely he’d be able to get a human form soon — it was only a matter of time.
Aether smiled, watching as Ciel did a couple of loops in the air. “Looks like you’re in a good mood,” he noted. “I wonder what’s got you feeling so happy?”
Ciel affectionately bumped Aether’s cheek with his Seelie form, squeaking contentedly. Aether laughed, his eyes sparkling. The cool wind brushed contentedly over their forms. Above their heads, a boundless blue sky stretched as far as the eye could see.
Hmmm. Maybe being a Seelie in Tevyat wasn’t so bad.
It’s not that he was giving up on becoming a human or anything!
He was just… adjusting, that’s all.
He hoped they’d meet Paimon soon, though. He wanted the plot to start already.
Fourth week as a Seelie.
As was prophesied, Aether found Paimon by fishing her out of a river.
Ciel twirled around in the air as he peered at the soaking wet… floating… thing… with interest. She was currently hacking her lungs out, having swallowed a generous mouthful of water during her dip in the river. Aether was currently bent over her, viewing her with concern.
“Are you alright?” the traveler asked.
“Paimon is–” the floating fairy coughed again, spluttering out water. She slowly straightened, adjusting her little crown. “Paimon is okay! Thank you for saving Paimon!”
“It’s no trouble,” Aether smiled. “I’m glad you’re alright. You said your name was Paimon?”
“Yes!” Paimon said enthusiastically. Ciel’s Seelie eye twitched. Why was her voice so… high. “Paimon is Paimon! And you are?”
“I’m Aether,” Aether said, putting his hand to his chest in a sort of gentle salute. His eyes flickered to Ciel, who was hovering in the air, and he grinned. “And this is Squishy.”
Damn that name.
Ciel glared at Aether as best as he could.
“Ooh, a Seelie!” Paimon said, twirling upwards in the air until she was floating at Ciel’s level. Ciel gave a squeak of hello. “Are you traveling companions?”
“Yes,” Aether said, watching the two of them curiously. “So Squishy is a Seelie? I didn’t know that.”
“Yes, they are!” Paimon nodded. “But Paimon feels that there’s something rather different about them… Though Paimon can’t tell what…!”
Ciel squeaked, doing a loop in the air. Could Paimon sense his outworlder origins? He wouldn’t be surprised. Paimon’s origins were shrouded in mystery, after all. Ciel knew that the… fairy’s (?) identity played an important role in the plot of Genshin, but given his convenient memory loss, he had no idea what it was. He could only ruminate in silence as he gazed at Paimon suspiciously — or as suspiciously as a Seelie could, anyway.
Was Paimon friend, or foe? Ciel sincerely doubted it would be the latter. But it couldn’t be denied that the little floating fairy held more than a few secrets, not counting the mystery of her especially high pitched voice.
…But then again, Ciel held more than a few secrets of his own.
Ciel twirled around Aether’s head, looking down at him pityingly. Poor fellow. It wasn’t enough that his traveling companions were full of secrets — one communicated primarily through squeaks while the other spoke in a high-pitched voice. He really couldn’t catch a break.
Anyway, it didn’t matter. Ciel would be able to help protect Aether on his journey once he had gained a human form! He refused to give up. There had to be a way to get a human form! He refused to believe that he would be a Seelie forever.
“What’s a Seelie?” Aether was asking. “Are they some sort of spirit?”
“Kind of.” Paimon hummed. “Seelie usually have Seelie Courts where they rest at — they’re also really good at finding treasure! But it seems that Squishy is a kind of Mini Seelie, instead of a Big Seelie.”
“Mini Seelie?” Aether said. “You mean they’re a baby?”
Ciel squeaked in protest. No! He was nineteen years old, thank you very much!
Then, he paused. Wait, treasure?
“Paimon isn’t sure,” Paimon said, putting a hand to her chin in thought. “But there are some little Seelies called Mini Seelies. They’re not as big and floaty as grown up Seelies, but are rounder and squishier. People sometimes keep them as pets or traveling companions, like you!”
“I see…” Aether said thoughtfully. “Does that mean Squishy can find treasure?”
“Paimon isn’t sure,” Paimon said. “But it can’t hurt to try!”
Aether turned around and stared expectantly at Ciel, who was hovering in the air as he listened to their conversation. “Squishy? Do you think you can find treasure?”
Ciel twirled around in the air and gave a squeak in an attempt to say that he would try. He stopped short and spun around in place, trying to focus his mind.
Treasure! He couldn’t believe that he’d forgotten about treasure .
He had been quite the lore-obsessed grinder as a player. He was a devoted user of the Tevyat Interactive Map, moving from fansites to the official one once it was finally released. He 100 percent-ed every single region’s exploration rate with grim determination. No stray book was safe from his hands, no sparkling item hidden from his eye. There were days when he would spend hours just sitting in front of his monitor, luxuriously reading through all the books he had collected and attempting to piece together the lore of the game.
If this world held treasure…!
Ciel twirled excitedly.
“I think they’re onto something!” Aether exclaimed.
“Yeah!” Paimon said, looking excited. “It’d be great if we could find treasure! Ah–” She suddenly looked a bit awkward. “If Paimon can come with you guys, of course…”
“Of course,” Aether smiled warmly. Though they still had yet to find any news about Lumine, the traveler looked much happier these days. Ciel was very glad. “You’re welcome to come along.”
Well, he supposed he could get used to her voice after a while. Ciel graciously gave a squeak of welcome. Paimon beamed and twirled happily in the air. “Hooray!” Her gaze then returned to Ciel, who was still spinning in place in the air. “Did you find any treasure, Squishy?”
“ Squeak …”
Ciel paused, closing his vision and concentrating once again. At first, he felt nothing — all was still, as Aether and Paimon watched him with bated breath. Ciel slowly started spinning around in place once again. He kept concentrating– and concentrating– and–
There!
Something tugged at his senses, only a few meters away. Ciel kept his focus and slowly floated after the pull — Aether and Paimon followed after him. It wasn’t long before they reached an innocuous looking spot on the ground. Ciel twirled around on the spot and gave an excited squeak. Treasure was under there, he could feel it!
“Ooh! Should we dig to see if there’s treasure?” Paimon asked, excited. Anticipation was clear in her eyes. She kicked her legs in excitement.
Aether nodded, pulling a shovel out of his seemingly-bottomless pack. “Let’s do it.”
After a few moments of digging, a dull thunk sounded under the ground. Aether’s shovel had hit something solid. Ciel started backflipping in anticipation, while Paimon yelled an excited, “Treasure! Treasure!”
Even Aether looked excited, his eyes sparkling as he dug faster. Soon, a decently-sized chest appeared from the ground; the traveler opened it to find a veritable amount of Mora and gems within, along with an array of artifacts and odd-looking star-shaped gems.
Ciel spun faster. Primogems! This world actually had treasure! And Primogems! He paused. But what were the Primogems for…? This world didn’t exactly have a gacha system…
Right?
Paimon clapped her hands, breaking Ciel out of his thoughts. “You actually found treasure! Squishy, you’re amazing!”
Ciel preened under the praise. Yes, he was quite amazing.
“This is great,” Aether grinned. “The only Mora we have is from monsters I fought on the road — this should help a ton!”
Ciel spun around in an even wider loop, affectionately bumping his form against Aether’s cheek. He was happy to help!
Suddenly, something caught the corner of his eye.
Ciel turned away as Aether busied himself with collecting the treasure, Paimon shouting words of encouragement.
Although he currently lacked a heart, it seemed to skip a beat when he saw what was behind him.
A screen had appeared in the air. It appeared to be hovering in thin air, and, judging from Aether and Paimon’s lack of reactions, Ciel was the only one who could see it. But what was even stranger was that…
It was displaying an interface that looked eerily similar to that of the Tevyat Interactive Map.
The map itself was shadowed in black; there were no markers showing plains or mountains or rivers. But Ciel supposed it made sense — if he was going by the system of the original game, then the map’s actual background would only unlock upon touching its corresponding Statue of the Seven.
A little blue arrow was hovering over the map. This probably showed his current position. Right under it was a pop-up displaying the icon of an Exquisite Chest: the chest that Aether had dug up only a few minutes ago. Under the icon was a button saying, Mark Pin.
Ciel stayed frozen in the air, staring at the screen.
Mind whirling, he thought, concentrating on the icon: Mark Pin.
The icon of the Exquisite Chest slowly faded out.
Close Map.
The map closed.
Ciel sluggishly turned around. Aether was still collecting the treasure, chattering with Paimon about what they’d buy first with their Mora. Ciel stared at their laughing faces, dazed.
There was no way that this world, and these people, were merely characters of a game: confined to codes and paths, to predetermined fates and endings.
There was just no way.
…Right?