Maelstorm, Yearning for her Thunderous Love. ( On Hold )

An Echo from Home | Chapter 1

THE SUN RISES ABOVE THE HORIZON

[Y/N] awoke from his sleep, slowly rising from the stuffy bedroll he had slept. The fresh winds carried the scent of the after rain and dandelions. They filled his lungs with odd tranquility. The welcoming, clear skies of Mondstadt embraced his [e/c] orbs. Birds chirped their melodies of liberty atop tree branches. The dampened shade from the tent's fabrics spared him from being blinded by the rising sun.

The tent was on the brink of collapse from the heavy storm from last night as the canvas was completely soaked. It was relaxing when he slept to listen to the previous night's rainfall, but not so much with the actual rain soaking the tent. A moment was all he needed to clean the sand out of his eyes. Afterward, he rose to stretch the fatigue from his body.

A soft and warm breeze brushed against [Y/N]'s face as he watched the city from afar. The nation of freedom and anemo both mixed well with each other. The winds of Mondstadt were refreshing and welcoming, no matter where he stood upon its soil. Though he had only stayed there for nearly a year, it felt like a second home—a break from the bleak and stormy aura of Inazuma. But, unfortunately, the jam-packed and tense atmosphere of Liyue was not welcoming either.

The far-off walls of the Mondstadt city stood tall beyond the moat, people walking about the bridge dragging wagons and carts—Fannovius Knights standing post at the gate entrance, a firmness with their stance. The path hacked earth to the side as people and wheels alike trended the course into the city.

[Y/N] shifted his eyes to the right side of the tent, where most of his equipment lay. It was a sad sight at best.

His Amenoma Kageuchi sword leaned on the backpack beside an unlit lantern. The burnt-out candle of the lantern irritated [Y/N] as he would have to replace it soon, which cost mora. An aging hunter's longbow was tied to the backpack. His Tanto Blade affixed to his waist as [Y/N] never did let go of the symbolic piece of Inazuma. Ever.

[Y/N] sighed as he stepped out, looking at the sight of his campsite before him. Embers no longer occupied the firepit as the last of the firewood was consumed by the flames. Nearby, a drying rack held Inazuma clothes. They were slow dancing to the wind's beats as the sun dried them. Unluckily, [Y/N] was forced to ditch most of the clothes from Inazuma as they were a burden to either carry around or maintain later; the last remaining pair was on that rack.

If [Y/N] only had enough mora to rent an inn or apartment, he could stop camping outside where monsters and thieves roamed unobstructedly. However, the cost to maintain the Kageuchi sword ate a sizable chunk of his earnings, alongside the gifted Inazuman war mask, dubbed "Final Wind," from the Shogun.

The gifted war mask was painted red with outlining black, dotted with downward protruding white teeth. The Shogun said it was only to be used in times of desperation. It was encased neatly inside a case within [Y/N]'s rucksack. He did not deem it necessary to use it as his already present skills were more than enough.

Another deeper reason lay dormant at the back of his mind—one influencing his decision more than the other.

[Y/N] finished with his lingering feelings and prepared to go to the city of freedom. He strapped on his backpack and tied the Kageuchi sword to his waist, beside the Tanto. But, unfortunately, this was just another average day to him. The tent was in no condition to be considered a tent anymore, so [Y/N] ditched packing it. Instead, he would collect his sleeping mat, clothes, and leftover foods animals hadn't made off with.

Wake up, get commissions, finish, sleep. Every day, Every week. An occasional bump here and there was nothing of importance to mention.

The mora [Y/N] made was no small amount, thousands of mora per commission to hunt down bounties, animals, or thieves. However, rather [Y/N] spent most of it on preserving the last few items he was able to escape with from Inazuma.