Chapter Text
Nahida was puzzled. After the traveler had helped her save Irminsul, the tiny god watched as the tree began to heal. The first thing to go was Eleazar, which she was grateful for. She was glad her subjects were the first to heal. After that, the withering zones began to diminish. The old withering zones persisted, but no new ones were created. Her nation was healing little by little since the war on Khaenri’ah, which she was happy about, but that’s not why the tiny goddess was puzzled.
When Nahida went to look into Irminsul that morning, a habit she had picked up since regaining control over Sumeru, it looked like the ley lines had begun to branch out more. She wished she could get her faithful student and brother, who she lovingly nicknamed as Hat Guy, to look into it, but she gave the puppet some time off after everything that happened in Nod-Krai. He was currently visiting what others perceived as his first friend in Mondstat, a particular baby dragon who the puppet had become attached to after saving the poor thing from his own darkness.
Of course, Nahida knew this wasn’t Hat Guy’s first friend. Some time after the Interdarshan Championship, Nahida gave her student some space to start his studies in Vahumana. As he was wandering, his paths crossed with a particular wandering samurai, one Kadehara Kazuha. Kazuha was the one to suggest that they travel together when Hat Guy explained why he was wandering Teyvat. As the samurai put it, two heads are better than one.
It didn’t take long for the puppet to fall head over heels for his traveling companion. Nahida was the first person he told, as he was confused and scared. He knew who Kazuha was ahead of time, of course. The Kadehara name was burned into his memory. Nahida could sense the apprehension wafting from the puppet, as both their histories were very much intertwined, and he was worried that Kazuha wouldn’t like him if he knew. Nahida, however, had a plan.
The two were soon in the Sanctuary of Surasthana, one looking confused while the other looked so nervous that he might pass out. She had to dismiss her brother figure due to how pale he looked. He looked grateful as he spared a hopeful glance as his partner and traveling companion before leaving.
”Hello, Kazuha. It’s a pleasure to meet you. Hat Guy talks about you a lot,” Nahida said, gauging his response to the comment. The samurai did not disappoint. The blush on his face said more than any words ever could.
”Oh really? I’m flattered, but might I inquire why I’m here? He didn’t really go into detail. He just said that he wanted me to meet you. Something about explaining some things that he’s uncomfortable about?”
Nahida nodded as she began to explain, “Yes, it’s about Wanderer’s past, a past that is lost to time. He has grown quite fond of you and had decided that you should know, but it’s kind of hard for him to explain, so he requested my help.”
”About his past? It’s true that Wanderer is quite an illusive person, but why divulge this information to me?” Kazuha questioned.
Nahida sighed and said, “All I can divulge in person is that your pasts and fates are intertwined. He requested that I give you this knowledge because he cares deeply for you, even if he doesn’t know it yet.”
That statement solidified his resolve as he said, “If that’s the case, please bless me with your wisdom.”
Kazuha took the information in stride. Nahida could see the worry in his eyes. As a safety measure, she read Kazuha’s mind, only to find that the worry wasn’t for himself, but for Wanderer. The samurai was truly a gentle and kind hearted person. Nahida couldn’t ask for a better person to be at her student’s side. He quickly but politely thanked her and rushed out the door.
Nahida didn’t see the aftermath, but Cyno did. Apparently he was with Wanderer at the time as he was still panicking. The two didn’t particularly have a close relationship, but they were cordial with each other and Cyno couldn’t just let someone have a panic attack without intervention. He had finally calmed Wanderer down when Kazuha kicked the door open, causing Wanderer to disassociate. Cyno was about to defend Wanderer, but Kazuha was too quick. He marched to the despondent puppet and smashed their lips together. Cyno’s jaw hit the floor as Kazuha calmed his now boyfriend down. Nahida wished she could’ve been there. This was great teasing material.
The two were inseparable ever since. The only times they were not together was when Wanderer saved baby Durin and when he left to help the traveler in Nod-Krai. If Nahida remembered correctly, Kazuha was with Wanderer and Durin right now.
Nahida slapped her cheeks. She had more important things to take care of than reminiscing about her favorite student’s love life. She had to get to the bottom of why Irminsul was spreading and what it was spreading to. Irminsul had been sick since she was born, so she just always assumed that Teyvat was all there was, but now she’s not so sure. It was time for Nahida to dive into Irminsul.
What she saw shocked her. The outside world was fascinating. The technological advances were quite impressive, but the truly shocking thing was the power outsiders held. Unlike visions, these powers were genetic, but Nahida couldn’t sense any abyssal energy coming from them. It was strange. She had to look further. The further she looked, the more concerned she became. The outside’s prejudice, while getting better somewhat, is still not great. Why discriminate against the people that need you the most? Why discriminate for different power sets, or genetic mutations? It made no sense to the god of wisdom. The suicide rates of their most vulnerable people are staggering. What makes things worse was that the outside absolutely HATES Teyvat.
The whole country was labeled as ‘villains’. The barrier made by Celestia after the fall of Khaenri’ah had apparently killed many of their people. It is a tragedy, but to label a whole country as terrorists that don’t even know what is happening is absurd. It’s not like their civilization is all sunshine and rainbows. If the Tsaritsa gets her way, Teyvat would be on the verge of yet another war.
Nahida thought long and hard about what to do with this new information until something caught her eye. It wasn’t knowledge from the outside world. If she was being honest, it didn’t even look like it was meant to be there in the first place. Nahida, like the curious little god she was, reached out to touch it. It wasn’t her finest moment as when she reached the odd shining object, everything went black.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Scara was having a lovely day. Him, his lovely boyfriend, Kazuha, and the baby dragon he sees as a little brother, Durin, were exploring the Mondstat countryside. It had been a while since the puppet had any downtime. If he was being honest, the only thing he wanted to do as of right now was relax with his favorite beings in the whole of Teyvat. He wished Nahida could be here to bask in the peaceful atmosphere, but alas. She was the god of wisdom, and that came with a lot of responsibilities.
He felt an arm wrap around his shoulder. Looking up at his boyfriend, he saw the concern in his eyes as he asked, “Are you alright, my love?”
This man always puts a smile on Scara’s face. He melted into the embrace as he replied, “I’m fine. I just wished Buer was here to take in the calm atmosphere.”
Kazuha nodded and looked ahead, still holding onto Scara. He never thought he would have something like this. Walking peacefully with the love of his life was a dream come true for the puppet. That was until he felt Kazuha tense up.
“What’s wrong?” Scara asked. He knew if Kazuha sensed something that made him tense to such a degree, it had to be bad news. Durin, who was in his own little world, heard the question and dashed to the two. It took everything in Scara to not squee at the baby dragon’s confused face. This is not the time.
As Kazuha was about to explain, a circle with strange runes that Scara had never seen before engulfed them he watched as Durin vanished into thin air. He tried to flee, but everything went black.