𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐁𝐄𝐆𝐈𝐍𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆 | genshin impact

| 11 |: A Moment's Respite

𝐀𝐔𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐑'𝐒 𝐍𝐎𝐓𝐄 : One of my followers on Tumblr (yes-this-account-is-dead) drew Kazuya!

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(Y/n) fell off the bed as she awoke with a start and landed on the wooden floor with a loud thud. She pressed the bottom of her palm against her forehead as tears brimmed her eyes.

She remembered.

What happened on the day Khaenri'ah fell. The young girl she saved, who later revealed to her that she's a member of the Alberich Clan, a branch of nobility in Khaenri'ah.

No wonder Kaeya seemed familiar to her; he must be that girl's descendant.

(Y/n) let a shaky sigh slip past her lips, and she slowly rose to her feet before sitting down on the edge of her bed.

She felt like a blank slate after Aether released her from her stone prison a few weeks ago. She had forced her brain to stay conscious for those 15,768,000,000 seconds, and because she was so focused on staying alive she ended up forgetting herself and certain details of her past. She had woken up confused, and in order to stay sane she suppressed her emotionally stressful memories. She basically reverted to what she was when she used to live in Khaenri'ah's research facility - an obedient doll that the alchemists could use to challenge Celestia's will.

(Y/n) couldn't believe that she had also forgotten about Kaedehara Kazuya, the young Inazuman boy who quickly became the light of her life. His smile saved her, and if it wasn't for him, she most likely would have walked down the destructive path of revenge. She suddenly felt angry when she remembered Venti's betrayal and Morax's decision to seal her with Osial, and she furiously threw the first object her hand came across on the floor, which was a white vase containing cecilias.

"I'm scared of you, neesan."

Her eyes widened when she saw Kazuya standing in front of her. Was she hallucinating?

"When you're angry, you become a different person. I've seen people change because they're angry and want revenge."

Kazuya wasn't smiling for some reason. Why did he look sad?

"I wanted revenge after my parents were killed by the pirates. But when you killed those pirates to save me, I felt empty. Whatever happens to you in the future, please don't live for revenge; for your own sake, don't become a prisoner of your rage."

She wasn't hallucinating. She was remembering what Kazuya once said to her after witnessing her slaughtering a group of nobushi. That time, she had left him alone on the beach so he could play while she went into Inazuma city to buy some food supplies. When she returned, she found him being surrounded by rintouban and allowed her spears to express the rage she felt upon seeing his wounds.

"Kazuya..." she whispered, raising her arms to hug him. But his figure quickly faded from her sight, causing her heart to sink as she was reminded that he's already dead. While time froze for her, time continued to flow for him. She could only hope that he was able to live a fulfilling life without any regrets. Lowering her gaze to the floor, she picked up a single cecilia from the broken mess. Even though he was born in Inazuma, Kazuya claimed that his favourite flower was Mondstadt's cecilia because it reminded him of (y/n).

The door suddenly slammed open, and she raised her head to see Aether entering the room wearing an expression of worry.

"Are you okay? I heard a weird sound coming from-" He paused abruptly, seeing the shattered vase on the floor. His eyes widened. "What happened?"

"I'm sorry. I accidentally knocked the vase over when I woke up," she lied, feeling guilty about breaking it to vent her anger. He probably picked the flowers himself and put them in the now broken vase to make her room look prettier. When she bent down to gather the pieces of ceramic, she felt an invisible wind barrier gently pushing her hand back as another flow of wind picked them up for her. Aether was using his anemo powers to prevent her from hurting herself, but she was suddenly reminded of Barbatos' cutting winds...