Chapter Text
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Teyvat was a world governed by the Heavenly Principles and gods. With abilities split into seven elements, both humans and other species could use these elements. For some species, they could just naturally use an element, but for ordinary humans and many other species, a vision was required to harness the power of the elements. These visions, thought to be gifts from the archons(ruling gods) or from the greater heavens above, gave power to only a select few people in Teyvat, who had strong wills.
The Heavenly Principles’ reign over Teyvat didn’t last forever, in part thanks to the mysterious blonde traveller from another world who could wield all seven elements without a vision.
However, with the destruction of the barrier that separated Teyvat from the outside world came…a different issue.
They discovered that the seas of Teyvat went further, and as the first explorers set out, it was discovered that there was a whole world outside of the continent of Teyvat…a whole world that shared this planet called Earth, with Teyvat being only one of several continents. Previously this had been called the Dark Sea by inhabitants of Teyvat, an area of the world that was only rumored to exist across the sea from the continent of Teyvat.
Outside of Teyvat, the humans had different powers, something more diverse. These powers were called ‘quirks’. Quirks manifested in so many different ways that it was interesting to the people of Teyvat, and even a bit scary. In Teyvat, it was widely unheard of that a mortal could wield magical power without the use of a vision, but in the rest of the world it was much different.
Whereas vision holders were the minority of Teyvat, quirked people were the majority of the rest of the world.
The blonde traveller, Aether, had finally reunited with the twin sister who he had lost. They didn’t plan to stay in this world forever, but perhaps they could lend their aid a bit more.
So, they founded Teyvat Academy. A school where people from all seven nations of Teyvat could gather to learn about not just the world of Teyvat, but the world outside of Teyvat as well.
Even more, the school accepted people from outside Teyvat, with individuals like Aether going out to offer a place at their school to those that don’t feel like they belong in the world of quirks.
The twins have worked hard, together with their chosen staff and students, to create a safe environment for everyone. They teach many courses like history, art, alchemy, and elemental theory. They even have smaller classes taught by students. They aim to make an environment where students can freely express themselves, taking courses that they have an interest in, and being able to throw organized events.
However, not everyone saw it that way.
The world outside of Teyvat prides itself on its system built on heroes and villains. The Hero Association, especially the branch of Japan(the country that was closest to Teyvat) had their suspicions about Teyvat.
Well, whether or not they truly believed that Teyvat Academy was sinister was unknown, but regardless, they did spread the seeds of doubt.
Rumors spread across the quirked society about how quirkless individuals were being abducted by the mysterious Teyvat Academy, and how Teyvat Academy was a cult that brainwashed students to believe in false gods that would grant them false powers to copy quirks.
Teyvat Academy had tried to come out to explain their history, their truth. But any of their attempts were ignored by the Hero Association and never shared with the citizens.
Fear of the mysterious Academy festered, and even reached the young heroes in training. And well, it didn’t help that the Hero Commission decided to issue an official order to Principal Nedzu of UA, school for heroes.
Principal Nedzu had taken an interest in Teyvat. It wasn’t every day that a whole new continent popped out of nowhere, and not many people have visited Teyvat yet. Countries were treading lightly when it comes to communication with the continent, careful not to start any conflicts with an unknown population. They had only been able to learn from brief visits so far, that most of Teyvat was indeed quirkless, while supposedly a few individuals in Teyvat possessed powers that seemed to stem from some sort of jewel instead of being a power they were born with.
Because of the mysteriousness of it, and the few things known to the public being so strange, negative rumors were bound to pop up.
Nedzu prided himself on the intelligence given to him by his quirk, but also just his critical thinking skills. He knew that the Japan branch of the Hero Commission, especially the Musutafu sub-branch, had done some shady things. Part of the reason UA was founded in Musutafu specifically, was to monitor the Musutafu sub-branch and ensure it didn’t grow out of control.
Well, Nedzu had a feeling that it had now nearly grown out of control. With Musutafu geographically being the closest to Teyvat, Nedzu imagines that the old coots must think that Musutafu is at the highest risk of being attacked first, should Teyvat really be an enemy force. Then there was also the fear that residents from Teyvat might come to Japan, and the hero commission couldn’t control a population of people with strange powers.
Discussions might arise like whether these people should be allowed to use their abilities in public since they’re not quirks and thus their use can’t be considered against the law. Debates would arise on how to classify these abilities, if these residents of Teyvat should be allowed to carry these jewels in public if they can be used as weapons. It was almost like the era of the first quirks all over again.
The world had long since left behind wars some time after the age of quirks began. Instead of fighting wars between countries, governments were too busy making sure their superpowered citizens didn’t grow out of control, and directing their military might towards stopping villains. But when it came to Teyvat, they were not weighed down by internal affairs like that, at least not as far as anyone was aware. So the possibility of a war starting, wasn’t so far-fetched as well.
Now, Nedzu knew that the negative rumors of Teyvat were spread more by the Hero Commission, but he also understands how humanity views things that are different. Not to mention raging quirkism already exists. Individuals born without a quirk are more often seen as less than human by many people with extremist views.
So, of course a continent full of quirkless people would draw the attention of such parties.
On top of that, there might be resentment when someone hears that these people are apparently able to receive powers for free. Many people are born with power, but often they receive quirks that are harder to control, or something they are unsatisfied with. The rumors say that this power the Teyvatians have is strong, possibly stronger than quirks. So some individuals who were dealt a more unfortunate hand when it comes to their quirk, may also feel emotions like jealousy when hearing such rumors. There’s also little information about how Teyvatians acquire this power, aside from the rumors of gods. Then there’s fear, fear of the unknown, fear that these people rumored to be so strong may turn on the rest of the world.
Nedzu was fully aware of what citizens were thinking. So it was no surprise that people accepted the rumors of cultism that the hero commission started spreading around. Nowadays it feels like most everyone just accepts that Teyvat is a cult.
Even before the hero commission contacted him, Nedzu had been finding a way to contact Teyvat. Specifically Teyvat Academy.
It was a stroke of pure luck that he had met a young blonde woman that claimed to be one of the founders of Teyvat Academy.
Lumine had a young appearance, but her demeanor gave Nedzu the impression that she was much older than people might think. Of course, in a world of quirks, such things weren’t unusual to Nedzu. The principal of UA was just happy to have an audience with this woman.
Lumine smiled. “I’ve heard much about you. I’ve already introduced myself, and I believe that your name is Nedzu.”
Nedzu nodded, sitting back in the chair in his office.
“Yes, I am glad to have this chance to speak with you, Miss. Lumine. In truth, I am very interested in Teyvat, and when I heard of Teyvat Academy, my interest was even more peaked.”
Lumine crossed her arms.
“I must make it clear that there are many things about Teyvat I cannot tell you. It is a place of many cultures and histories. Truthfully, I myself am not from Teyvat. Although, I can certainly tell you about the academy.”
Nedzu was curious about where the woman was from, but he would set aside more personal questions for now.
“Alright, then is Teyvat Academy the only school in Teyvat?”
“No. Teyvat is a continent split into seven nations. Each nation has their own ideas of education, with Sumeru having the biggest and most organized school amongst them. Teyvat Academy is named that way because it strives to make a place for people from all nations to learn in their own way and to express themselves.”
Nedzu was a bit surprised, though it made sense that the continent was split up just like any other continent was.
“I see, then can you tell me more about these seven nations?”
“Yes, I’ll just do the basics though. There are seven nations, and each nation is ruled by a god. These gods are called archons, and each one embodies one of the seven elements, as well as a principle of sorts. The nations also embody the same thing that their archon embodies. Mondstadt is the nation of freedom and anemo(wind). This nation is not actively governed by the god Barbatos, but they do have a church dedicated to them and is pretty much governed by the Knights of Favonius. Liyue is the nation of contracts and geo(earth). Up until a few years ago, their god, Rex Lapis, would descend every year to give guidance, but unfortunately passed away. Since then, they have been governed only by the Qixing. Inazuma is the nation of eternity and electro(lightning or electricity). They are actively ruled by the Raiden Shogun, as well as having a government that supports the archon and handles various affairs on her behalf. Sumeru is the nation of wisdom and dendro(plants). This nation had imprisoned its god up until recent years, but is still mostly governed by the Akademiya I mentioned before. Their god is Lesser Lord Kusanali, also called Nahida or Buer. There’s also the desert, which is more akin to a lawless land as many of the residents are mercenaries, though it is a part of Sumeru and therefore under Buer’s rule. Fontaine is the nation of justice and hydro(water), whose archon also passed away, though it was quite complicated. It’s pretty much governed by Iudex Neuvillette now, and laws are enforced by the Maison Gardiennage. Natlan is the nation of war and pyro(fire), whose archon changes constantly. The archon is actually a human, chosen to hold the position through a sort of tournament. The current archon is Muavika. The people there are made of six different tribes with their own specialties. Don’t be alarmed by the concept of a nation of war, as I believe it has that title more so because this nation has been engaged in a war against monsters for many years. Of course, that issue has been dealt with, so it is also no cause for concern. Nod Krai is technically a part of Snezhnaya, but we consider it separately. The residents there worship the moon goddess, if anyone, and they don’t have a super structured government there. Snezhnaya is the nation of cryo and love. The Tsaritsa rules the Fatui, who enforce the Tsaritsa’s will as diplomats and a military force. The Fatui caused trouble in the past as the Tsaritsa let them do as they pleased, but nowadays they have been reigned in and many of the problematic members have been dealt with.”
Nedzu was very intrigued. He would have to dive deeper into the history and culture of each of these nations at a later time. Perhaps he could even visit and travel through Teyvat in person.
“I see, you mentioned monsters, do you mean creatures like those of our fantasy books?”
“Yes, in fact, I’ve read some of these types of books and find many similarities between them and the reality of Teyvat. We have many species that aren’t human. Some of them are humanoid, such as a certain kitsune I know. Some of them, you might not even realize that they’re not human as they look identical to humans. Others, like the kitsune I mentioned, may have traits like fox ears and a tail that you wouldn’t see on a normal human, at least you would not in Teyvat. I understand that in the rest of the world, there are humans with mutation quirks that are considered as humans and not as other species. It’s different in Teyvat, if you see someone with something you would consider a mutation, they are considered a different species altogether, or sometimes they may be a mix of species. There are also many species that aren’t humanoid necessarily, such as dragons. Some species may also be able to shift between forms, like they may take the form of a bird but also the form of a human. Monsters refer to the species of Teyvat that don’t have intelligence on the level of a human, or do but still choose to attack humanity. We once had monsters called Hillichruls, but they have been mostly eliminated. We also eliminated the monsters of the Abyss. I don’t quite know how to describe the Abyss, but we consider it as another realm connected to Teyvat, where abyssal monsters had come from. Aside from that, most of the other species of Teyvat are friendly towards humans.”
Nedzu understood. In the early era of quirks, people considered humans with mutation quirks as inhuman, though research into the matter proved that notion wrong. It seemed that in Teyvat, these species really were different from humans.
“Alright, I must also clarify something. There are rumors that Teyvat Academy has been kidnapping people from Japan, and other countries. I would like to confirm if this is true.”
Lumine shook her head.
“It is true that we have invited people from this world of quirks to join our school, but it is all consensual. Most of the people invited so far have been adults, and those that were under the age of eighteen received parental permission. Of course we did ask these individuals to sign an NDA, due to concerns over the academy's reputation and not wanting these individuals to get attacked for associating with the academy. There are of course people we have invited that have declined. It is true that we primarily focus on inviting the quirkless, and those who are discriminated against for whatever reason. The reason we focus on these people is simply because we aim to give these people a more friendly environment to learn and grow. We have studied a lot about this world’s culture, and have discovered that individuals who are discriminated against tend to struggle more in a learning environment, due to bullying from students and teachers alike. Of course our students are able to leave the academy whenever they like. I can even send you the information regarding the students that have already returned to this country. I assure you that no one is being forced to go to, nor to stay in Teyvat.”
Nedzu considered all of this. Of course he would follow up on this later despite already trusting this woman, if only to provide proof to the public that Teyvat Academy is innocent.
“I see, this is all very interesting. There is a lot of information to take in, so I’ll ask that you send me further information at a later date. For now, I want to discuss my proposal to you.”
Lumine snorted.
“Oh, proposing when we just met? How bold of you.”
Nedzu shook his head.
“I’m sure you know that’s not what I meant. Actually, just earlier today, I received the most interesting of orders from the Hero Commission.”
Lumine sighed.
“Let me guess, they wish to launch some sort of investigation on Teyvat.”
“More or less. Specifically, they request that I send some of our first year heroes in training, as well as some of the pro heroes under my employ, to infiltrate your academy.”
Lumine rolled her eyes.
“Do they seriously expect us to not be suspicious of something like that? On top of that…your students are children, right? How could they send children on a mission like this if they believe us to be enemies?”
Nedzu nodded.
“Yes, it is quite foolish and certainly not ethical. My guess is that they see the students and teachers here as expendable to send into something that very well could be a death trap in their eyes. Though I employ heroes, none of them are particularly high ranking at this point, even All Might, though he used to be the top hero, has likely lost nearly all of his value by the commission's standards.”
Lumine grit her teeth.
“I can’t stand people that treat others as something expendable.”
Nedzu steepled his fingers together.
“Yes, I must agree with that notion. Though I personally am not very fond of humanity as a whole, they are interesting to me. To send such promising humans to their potential deaths for such a reason is not something I can condone. That being said, it seems we are relatively on the same page about this.”
Lumine took in a breath, calming herself.
“So, do you plan to follow the commission's order?”
Nedzu nodded.
“I do. Unfortunately, it may be problematic for me and my school to go against such a direct order. The commission has spread its influence quite far. So, I will send one full class of students, along with five teachers to supervise them. However, I will not be telling them what you have told me. I will send them in only with the rumors they’ve heard. I plan to use this as a learning opportunity for both my students and teachers, in order to teach them just how widely a false truth can be spread. Of course, this may be problematic for you, as some of my students and staff may cause trouble for you if they believe you to be villains. If you don’t agree to this, then I’ll simply tell the commission that I was unable to find a method to infiltrate your school, and hope that they don’t continue to pester me about it.”
Lumine thought about it. Of course it could cause potential problems, but a single class and a few teachers wouldn’t be too many people to handle, even if it was just her and her brother. There are plenty of capable individuals in Teyvat Academy that can keep these U.A. students and teachers in check.
“Alright, I will inform Teyvat Academy about this, but I believe that the majority will agree to it. So, I will send a friend of mine to pick up your students and staff at the port in five days. I will also send you any additional information. Oh, before I go, I should inform you that any devices like cellphones will not work in Teyvat, since we don’t have anything like cell towers there. You should probably inform your students and staff about that, I hear that cellphones are a large part of daily life here.”
Nedzu nodded.
“Of course, I will prepare everyone in time for this trip. Do have a safe trip back, it would be inconvenient for me if you were to disappear.”
Lumine stood up.
“It was nice speaking with you, Nedzu. I do hope your heroes and heroes to be will live up to my expectations.”
-To Be Continued-