Chapter Text
Steps of a Thousand Shimmering Stars
Chapter One
A comet shower, caused by a single step. A step, of a thousand shimmering stars...But if only they could shimmer and shine for just a bit longer, then maybe, just maybe, things would not have ended like this...If only the stars in the sky were not forced to lie, if only the brightest star could console the fallen. But in a world where fate is of a matter that you cannot change, only those with ultimate power can pull the strings. In which, the empty island in that voided sky holds such ultimate power, would akin a flame, stricken from oil and stone. The oil from rivers flowing pure Hydro, tears of a lost Oceanid, and the stone the true monarch of the Geo kingdom and its faceless overlord. The oil contaminated by the forbidden roots of knowledge of the seed sprouted Dendro in the forest of Irminsul’s archives, those seeds carried on by the winds of time, Anemo flowing in the Dandelion Sea. The winds disturbance caused thunderous clouds peril, Electro stricken strong near the cherry blossoms, the petals somewhat similar to the snowflakes that fall in a blizzard of Cryo, that land having no more love for its people. That is the origin of the comet shower in Teyvat 500 years ago. Is it really, though? Question this thought, and question it well, theorize on it because it may be the only chance you get to change your own fate with it. A world full of lies, a thousand of those shimmering stars, shining and sparkling like tears in the snow on a dark night. Tears from welled up feelings, tears of realization, tears of prejudice. Those tears, same as that lost Oceanid’s, are from pure pain and loss. Those tears that fell on the snow, that fateful day...Oh, how fateful it was. Such heinous snow, not just stained with tears but blood, shed from the fallen star. But was the star really ever a star? Was it just posing as one, hiding its insanity so cleverly? Who knows...Not even the star does. These might be unintelligible ramblings from a crazed artist, but let the words paint a tapestry, brighter than the blood that shone through the moon, the blood painted on a canvas for sincerity and hope, along with false beliefs. This canvas, this tapestry, this story, these words, that day, let them paint something greater, let them strive forward for a better tomorrow, a tomorrow better than yesterday's wishes and broken breadcrumbs. Let us start with the snow, blizzarding into a path forward, forward to the galaxy...
Maniacal laughter filled empty thoughts. “Sinner...You’re pathetic.” The tall woman's words stung like salt to the wound. How did all of this even happen in the first place? Sakisami fell to her knees, landing in the soft snow on the pavement as it crunched beneath her. Heavy breaths stung her lungs, yet she gasped for air anyway. The snow was nostalgic, if only it weren’t splattered with blood and tears. The girl tried but couldn’t speak. It was too much to bear for a twelve-year-old, right? So why did she have to deal with this...? What did she do...? As if reading Sakisami’s mind, the tall woman said, “You, my dear, broke the rules...You found out the truth. Isn’t it beautiful, though? How such a trivial matter could cause such heartbreak and pain...You’re at a loss for words, and I love it~. I love seeing those pretty tears fall from your face as the light leaves your eyes...” She spoke in an almost sadistic tone, running a hand through her long white hair. “Just so it sticks in your head who did this to your family, I am Lunae Akina, the original Herrscher of the Moon and Stars. Remember that name. Chant it on rainy days. Repeat it like a mantra...I am Lunae Akina~.” Lunae Akina...That’s what that woman’s name is...Sakisami did not want to remember it, though. Sakisami would not like to remember the name of the person who tore limbs off her family while she was forced to watch, at a loss for words, frozen in time. She doesn’t want to, but she’ll remember the name, and the pattern of the blood on the snow, the dead eyes of the decapitated heads, the laughter, and the blank space in her head where her mind was supposed to be. I could have saved them...
...
That’s a lie. You know it is. You couldn’t do anything. “Now, let me finish you off, dear sinner~.” Those words stung again. Lunae’s heartless words and her cold tone of voice were worse than the subzero temperatures and icy snow. But now, she could move, she could speak, Sakisami could at least beg for mercy. But...she didn’t. She sat there, her head hung low in shame, waiting patiently for her fate as she coughed blood out, it dripping from the corners of her mouth. Her knees were deep in the snow, watching the limbs and heads slowly fade away into the falling snow, the fading barely stopping for the organs and hearts. Lunae had carved them too quickly, you could just barely see a heart beating as it slowly dwindled. Sakisami knew this, but still, she hung her head low. She didn’t want to try anymore...
Step. Step. Step.
Lunae slowly walked towards her, ready to carve out the sinner's body and finish the ode of resurrection. Yes, the ode...Matched perfectly with a melody to mourn the lost and the third descender. The small girl could only mumble out a few words, but they were heart-shattering to the hopeful, “Please, kill me...” Lunae chuckled at the girl's request. Another step. The tall woman swayed her sword side to side. “You...Have learned the truth, and you will pay the price.” Had the fallen star really fallen so far? Was a comet shower much of a distraction to the eyes of mere mortals, surely incapable of realization? Sakisami’s dead eyes stared at the snow, still not speaking a word. She hid her undeserved shame, the guilty look on her face. But how was she guilty? Another step. How could she be guilty of doing something so innocent? Was finding out that all the world’s a stage, a whole play? A chessboard of perfect pawns? Did it even matter that she really knew the truth, when she had her speculations all along? Were meaningless words on a hitherto blank canvas? Why did she have to pay such a price for something so innocent...? Why? Why? Why...? Answer me please, I can’t keep doing this I can’t just-
Stop it. Do not lose your mind yet...I believe in you. What...? Who are you? There’s no one else here, but...You can’t be my heart...Right? My heart hates me...I hate me. Maybe, in my mind...No, that can’t be it, right? Why do you believe in me? Because you are the only one. What do you mean the only one??? Wait...It is me. Or is it, I can’t tell...Just kill me. No, don’t. DO IT. WHY CAN’T I SPEAK?! I DON’T WANT TO DIE BUT I DON’T WANT TO BE HERE ANYMORE. I’M SO CONFUSED...A tear rolled down Sakisami’s cheek. And then, another. Then, another. She was crying a river, and for the first time in a while, she didn’t want to die. The sadistic smile of Lunae Akina only grew greater when she saw the tears roll down the young girl’s face. “Oh, don’t be so scared...You want to die~” The woman was now in front of the girl, an aura of pure bloodlust present. Her evil smile was spread wide, and her bloodstained sword seemed yearning for another kill as well.
Lunae put a finger to Sakisami’s chin, tilting it up to look into her eyes. Sakisami’s brown eyes, oh how dead and traumatized they looked, they no longer had that shine that always seemed to linger even during sad times, there was no longer a spark of hope, it had all gone down the drain, into the abyss. Another tear fell. She was back to being incredibly vulnerable as her words and thoughts had gone quiet once again. “Lovely, just lovely...” Lunae mumbled out while she studied the girl’s expression, making sure to leave the image lasting in her head. “I don’t want to die...” Sakisami whispered. But even then, she couldn’t hear herself. Suddenly, something flickered inside her. She felt a new emotion, something that made her want to keep trying. But what could she do...? She felt such...Determination. So much determination. A fire swelled up in her heart, trying to think of a plan. She was cornered, though. She couldn’t do anything; she was about to die. Or...Could she? Help me...
No...
I must help myself again, don’t I? I understand now, no one will be there to help me, everything lies in my hands.
Saki shoved Lunae down in a quick move and pushed her to the ground. Climbing on top of the woman, Sakisami’s hand moved to her neck, grasping it tightly, attempting to strangle her. Yet she was being strangled, Lunae laughed. “YOU THINK YOU CAN KILL ME?! DON’T MAKE ME LAUGH!” “Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! I WANT YOU TO DIE, LUNAE!” The girl’s fingers turned pale, squeezing the older woman’s neck with all her strength left. Her triumph fell as Lunae’s hand moved to Sakisami’s wrist, grabbing it and snapping it away from her neck. The girl screamed in pain as her wrist went limp. A snap was audible, yet it wasn’t as loud as Sakisami’s thoughts, even with the pain and tears, the only thought in her head was kill. Kill, and take back what is yours.
CRASH!
But then, in a flash, Sakisami was pummeled by a shot of Hydro, and she was launched into the apartment building behind her, the wood splintering her skin as the sudden force caused the wall to break. A painful crack signaled that she broke more than one bone in that hit. Body weary, her vision transitory, and her thoughts rattled, Sakisami fell to the ground once again. She couldn’t move, but this time it wasn’t because of shock, but of agony and aching. The only thing the girl could see was red as the blood completely consumed her vision, leaving her in a broken mess on the ground, her red blood pouring out of her like a shattered wine glass. She thought she could do something...Or did she? Not even the hazy air could tell, or her past memories. No one knew. Nothing knew. No one was new. Nothing was new. Sakisami couldn’t think, she could only breathe heavily, her voice hoarse as she coughed out blood in front of her painfully. She would lay on her side on the cement ground in the parking lot, blood spilling out of her. She didn’t even try to open her eyes now, as there was nothing to be seen. She didn’t even try to pay attention to the noises, as there was nothing to be heard. Nothing. No one. Nothing. No one. This felt like Déjà vu, she was all alone again. Lunae, of course, was still there, but Sakisami didn’t want to see nor hear her, so, she continued to lie on the ground covered in her own blood with her eyes closed. It seems that the girl has accepted her fate, and after such a small burst of sudden determination. How did this happen? It must have been over in an instant...
The sun had to perish so the moon could live on. What the sun didn’t know was that the moon didn’t want to live; it couldn’t live, not after its light had gone out. It didn’t want to live, but it had to, the moon must oblige to the sun’s last words, those words being, “The sun must perish so the moon can live on. My dear moon, keep your everlasting glow on the world, and shield the universe with your dark shade. For the eggshell will crack again someday, when that time comes, I want you to surrender to your emotions. Just remember this...Across seas, the stars, and the moon, I was so lucky I stepped upon this land and dreamt under the same stars as you...” After the sun said that it faded away with only the wind to echo its thoughts and prayers. The sun shone no longer, and the only thing that would spark light unto the world is the moon’s soft glow, but even that would grow dim as a result of erosion.
That was...A story my mother told me. Why am I remembering it now? Oh gods...I can feel my life flashing before my eyes...The pain is starting to fade...Why must it end this way...I can see a...Bright...Light...
That light grew brighter and brighter, encasing my vision. Now, I could see, and in front of me was a sight that brought tears to my eyes, as beautiful as the moon’s glare hitting the water. There was a soft humming of a nostalgic tune, it was comforting. A feather flew by in the light breeze, and I saw some feet away from me a white door. It was more gate like than a door, I suppose. Leading to it was a white bridge, patterns carved into it, and all around me were clouds, and some sort of divine pillars. My realization hit, and they weren’t just divine pillars, they were ruins in whole, all white and gold. The gold shone bright in the reflection of the sun, and it seemed almost as if I was on some sort of bridge to the sky. Looking down, I couldn’t even see the ground, just the sky and more clouds. This reminds me of something...What was it...? Oh, right...My gaze fell upon the door again, and as my memory came to, I got flashbacks of when I would stay at home on my computer, just watching the loading screen. This was what was thought to be Celestia, the great castle in the sky. Except, while this place had the ruins and pillars similar to that of the divine kingdom, there was no castle or ground in sight besides the bridge. The wind swirled around me, and the sun’s rays hit my face, it felt nice and calming.
My breath hitched as I tried to speak, my throat running dry. I looked down in panic, remembering that I was last bleeding out. Checking my body, I couldn’t find a single bruise or scratch, I seemed fine. Did I feel fine, though? Yes. I think. In fact, I felt great, I felt at peace, for once. Nothing hurt, and my mind was clear, no longer a headache beating into my brain. I looked around me, turning around from the door. All I saw was the bridge, seemingly endlessly going on. I turned back around and took a step forward. And then, another step, and then another. I slowly walked forward to the door, now standing in front of it. The patterns engraved on it ran a chill down my spine, it not representing anything yet seeming so mysterious. I ran my finger across the gold part of the door, it was cold. Placing my hands on the left door and right door, I pushed it open, and once again my vision was encased in white, as bright as the sun. It all swirled around me, and I closed my eyes.
“Welcome to a new world...”