[Scenario: 500 years before the Traveler awoke from their slumber, the lost nation of Khaenri'ah caused the encroachment of the Abyss onto the world of Teyvat. The Traveler's sibling later became the leader of the Abyss, plotting revenge against Celestia. This would put into place the Destiny Celestia had foretold a thousand years ago
Far away from the lost nation, Mondstat struggles. With Barbatos forcefully enlisted by Celestia to destroy Khaenri'ah, Mondstat would surely suffer greatly.]
[Mission: Alter the fate of Mondstat, and in doing so, save the heart of the Crimson Witch]
I blinked, and the next thing I knew, I was standing in a forest. The forest looked normal enough, but the skies were wrong. It was an angry crimson, covered in giant cracks of black and purple. It was as if the skies themselves had been scarred, and its blood now stained the clouds.
But what was most off-putting was the feeling in the air. The world felt off—the air felt still and the winds that blew around me were filled with a miasma that almost reminded me of the karma Liyue suffered against during the Archon War.
Before I could think further on it, I heard something cutting through the air, and I stepped aside just in time to let an arrow fly past my ear. I quickly turned around, and my eyes went wide as I saw a platoon of hundreds of hilichurls approaching, with dozens of hilichurls in the back ready to let loose a volley of arrows.
It was an impossible sight. Hilichurls were a minority, and even finding a camp that went beyond a dozen hilichurls was nearly impossible. For hundreds of hilichurls to group up like that-
I narrowed my eyes. Was the fall of this so-called Khaenri'ah at fault? Hilichurls were pretty common in the Abyssal Trails I've taken, so maybe all these hilichurls came from the Abyss?
…mm, no. That didn't feel quite right.
But I'll save the pondering for later.
A bright halo flashed over my head, bright white wings expanded from behind me, and a sharp hiss left my lips as a [Windblume Ode] appeared in my hands. I strung a 4★ onto the bowstrings, and empowering it with cosmic winds, I shot it into the center of the hilichurl platoon.
The world flashed white, before a giant tornado sprang into existence from the impact, glowing with deep purples and blacks. The tornado shredded any hilichurl that came too close, while also dragged the rest of the platoon closer, pulling them up towards into the air and turning them into a fine mist.
I took a deep breath as I lowered my bow.
There were no more hilichurls left. That was good, but just the fact that such a group existed in the first place was worrying. I knew that I was an outlier; had any normal group of soldiers encountered that group of hilichurls, it was likely they'd be overwhelmed by the hilichurls and killed.
There was no time to waste.
My wings extended out, and with a flap I flew into the sky. I looked at my surroundings, and I frowned slightly. My System told me that I was in Mondstat, but the lands around me were unlike the Mondstat I knew—free of any ice and snow. Did the climate really change that much in just over a thousand years?
I cast the thought aside as my eyes honed in on the city in the distance. The stone walls surrounding the city reminded me of the walls protecting Liyue Harbor, but unlike the ones back home, the walls protecting the city weren't infused with any divine essence. Honestly, it was impressive that the walls still stood despite how battered it'd become.
I frowned. Geez, what was this Barbatos doing? I knew my System told me that they were out fighting in Khaenri'ah right now, but surely they could've helped the mortals build a stronger wall.
Whatever the case, my Mission was clear. I needed to make sure Mondstat didn't fall.
I flew forward, using my [Hawk Eyes] to survey the surroundings and note any nearby monsters as I flew. And once I got close enough that someone could potentially see me, I descended to the ground, deactivated my wings and halo, and approached the city of Mondstat on foot.
I definitely attracted attention as I walked across the stone bridge, and once I came upon the city gates, I was stopped by a pair of guards. "State your business, outsider." One of the guards said.
Yeesh, he practically spat out that last word. Then again, I didn't blame him. This was a stressful time for everyone, and now here I was rocking up like nothing was happening.
I placed a calm smile on my face. "I am Xinyue, a Storyteller from Liyue. I harbor no ill intent for these lands." Seeing the guards' wary glares, I continued. "As a Storyteller, it is my duty to document the history of the world." I faked a sigh. "I had been separated from my people when I was crossing the border, but to abandon my task so quickly would be a shame I cannot bear."
Most of what I said was false, of course. It was simply one of the many different cover stories Guizhong and I had come up with, meant to be used whenever I journeyed out to different regions of Teyvat.
The two guards turned to one another for a moment, before their tension eased slightly. "Very well. You are allowed entry." One of them then glared. "But know this, if we spot any suspicious activity, we will apprehend you without question." After saying that, he and the other guard finally stepped aside, letting me enter.
I kept my calm smile as I entered, but it faltered as I saw how Mondstat looked past the city walls. I had no expectations on what Mondstat could look like, but I certainly wasn't expecting a recently-devastated city. The buildings were all damaged in some way, parts of the stone paths were sunken in, and the large chapel in the distance was heavily damaged.
But what was truly horrifying were the dozens of people on the streets, laid down on dirty tarps, terrible injuries wrapped beneath bandages and strips of cloth. I could also see a few nuns aiding the injured, using their Visions to heal the people as best as they could.
I frowned deeply. It seemed the guards' excessive vigilance wasn't just because of the ongoing cataclysm. Some battle had occurred within the city walls, and Mondstat was only just recovering. But-, how had the threat even gone past the walls in the first place? The only opening the city had was the bridge connecting the island the city was on with the rest of Mondstat.
Before I could ponder further, I heard a commotion not too far away. I walked over, and found a few people crowding around an injured knight. The knight was gasping as he pressed a fist into his chest, his face pale and sweat covering his brow. A nun was by his side using her Vision, but she grew more and more panicked as her healing seemingly did nothing.
I narrowed my eyes as I came close. "Excuse me." I said, and I smiled grimly as the nun turned to me. "If I may, could I have a look? I might be able to help."
"P-Please." The nun whispered, exhaustion thick in her voice.
I nodded as she took a step back, and I kneeled down besides the injured knight. I took a small breath, and then infused Energy into my eyes.
[Hawk Eyes] activate!
Time slowed down, and began observing the knight's Energy flow. It was something Guizhong taught me some time ago, and I used it from time to time. This time, I used it to see what was wrong with this knight, and it didn't take long before I found something odd.
There was a massive gathering of 'blobs' in the knight's organs. The 'blobs' not only stopped circulation of Energy throughout the knight's body, but they also seemed to be eating the knight's body from the inside. If anything, they acted more like parasites than some kind of poison. Another affliction from the Abyss, perhaps?
I pressed a hand onto the man's chest, and a golden glow shined from my palms as I activated [Sunlight Healing]. The people around me gasped, but I glanced at the nun. "Come, sister of Barbatos." She jolted in surprise at my call, but she quickly kneeled down next to me.
"W-What's wrong with him?"
I shook my head. "I know not how to describe it, but there seems to be a kind of corruption that'd taken hold within his body." I used my other hand to point at his stomach, then his liver, and finally his lung. "They have gathered in these areas and are now feasting on this knight's flesh."
She gasped, "That's-!" She grit her teeth. "Please, you need to heal him. I can't-, I'm not able to-!"
I hummed. "Calm, sister." Gently, I grasped her hands and brought it to the man's stomach. "I am certainly able to purify this knight, but I cannot remain here eternally. You must learn how to cleanse this as well." Her breathing grew panicked at my suggestion, but I gave her an encouraging pat on the shoulder. "Do not worry. I will guide you the entire way."
She took a breath. "Okay! Okay." She gave me a determined glare. "Please teach me."
I nodded, and I did as I promised. As I kept the worst gathering of 'blobs' at bay, I instructed the nun on how to use her Vision to purify the 'blobs'. There was some initial struggle—mostly because the control my Genshin System offered me differed from how Visions worked—but we got there eventually.
Before long, the sister was able to purge the corruption inside the knight's body on her own, and she sighed loudly as she pulled away, her hands shaky with exhaustion. "I…did it." She whispered as she stared at the knight, now no longer in pain.
"That you did." I smiled encouragingly. "Congratulations."
Since the nun was fully tuckered out, I decided to aid the other injured people around me. My hands near-constantly glowed gold as I used [Sunlight Healing] on the many injured people, returning them all to full health one person at a time. Everyone marveled at how quickly I could heal even those in critical condition, but I ignored them. After all, compared to the corruption of karma, these injuries were practically child's play.
During that, I also encountered a few more people who were also infested with those 'blobs', though thankfully none of them were as grave as the knight's. Whenever I did, I called a nearby nun and instructed them on how to purify them.
And by the end of the hour, I'd healed all the injured people back to full health. Many people watched me in reverence as I healed the last injured person—a young girl with a heavily injured leg. Once I did, the girl's mother came before me and thanked me with tears in her eyes. I just calmly smiled as I gently pushed the girl back into her mother's arms.
Of course, my actions hadn't gone unnoticed by the local knights either. They watched me as I let the girl and her mother reunite, and I subtly waited for one of them to approach me.
After minutes of waiting, one of them finally stepped up. He was dressed differently than the other knights—his armor more expensive, his sword more decorated, and an Anemo Vision strapped onto his belt. "You are Xinyue, yes?" He asked.
I smiled. "I am, yes." I bowed. "This Storyteller greets thee, knight of Barbatos."
He laughed loudly. "There's no need to be so polite!" He crossed a fist across his chest as he smiled. "I am Rostam. I'm currently the leader of the knights."
For a moment, I saw his eyes glance across me, likely trying to see if I had a Vision of some kind. And when he found none, his eyes narrowed slightly, before his eyes widened in realization.
I stayed silent. There was no need to explain what I was, considering I wasn't able to answer that myself.
Rostam was quiet for a moment, before he took a breath. He seemed to have come to some sort of decision. "Lady Xinyue, if I may be so bold, can I ask for your help about something?"
I smiled. "Of course."
He nodded with a relieved sigh. "Then, please, follow me."
I nodded back, and off we went to the knights' main office.