Genshin Train

Book One | 01

Venti's eyes shot open.

"A group of four! Oh, they'll have fun!"

"Or they'll end up hating each other in the end."

Those words rang in his head, but he doesn't remember hearing them, and he doesn't know who said them. Soft blades of grass grazed the small of his back.

He blinked groggily and propped himself up on his elbows. It took him a moment to realize why he had woken so abruptly. The blur of Diona's frizzy pink hair became more visible to him as she rushed towards a tree. She closed her little paws around something on the tree and tried prying it off of it.

Venti blinked multiple times before Diluc and Kaeya's figures cleared as well. Diluc must have recently woken as well because he was struggling to stand even while trying to calm Diona.

Kaeya only sat there, his hands tangled in his, now loose, hair and his eyes trained on the ground. Yes, eyes. The eyepatch that usually insured his right eye was gone. Venti couldn't see the uncovered eye, and for the time being, he didn't really care to. He already knew what lies beneath that eyepatch anyhow.

He felt rested, yet disturbed. He felt sick even. Venti rolled over slightly, propping himself up on his elbows. He was not wearing his usual attire any longer. A very thin gray jumpsuit and large metal boots replaced his usual cape and tights.

His vision cleared a little and Diona, Diluc, and the tree became more visible.

"Diiioona..." Diluc slurred, still groggy from his sleep as well. Venti saw that Diona was pursuing some monitor. He had seen similar technology in Fontaine, though this seemed much more advanced.

Diona, Diluc, and Kaeya all adorned the same uniform as Venti. Though Diona's was a little too big for her. The pants of the suit that were tucked into the boots spilled over them much more than the others, and her hands were completely covered by the sleeves when she didn't pull them back.

The light of screen before Diona flickered and a small spherical robot became visible. "Welcome aboard the Infinity Train! I know what you must be wondering-"

"Where am I?" Diona wailed.

"'Where am I-'"

"What am I doing here!?" She stomped her foot on the ground, tail bristling. Her sudden movement made Diluc jump.

"'What am I doing here!?' I understand how confusing this must be! So I'll try to explain this as simple as possible!"

The robot's voice changed into a more monotone one. "You're here to confront your emotional trauma."

"You're here to solve your problems!" Its chipper voice had returned. "You have a problem that can be solved here! Or, more accurately, there are things in your life you must come to terms with!"

Venti's eyes furrowed. "Heh...?"

"Each car is different than the other," the monotone voice said. "That glowy number on your hand is basically your status or whatever. The more you figure your life out, the lesser that number becomes," Venti raised his right hand.

"There's nothing on mine..."

"Other hand, genius," Kaeya rasped.

"Oh! Ehe..." He looked at his other hand. 642. "Huh."

"When that number reaches zero, the train's exit will appear, and you may return home!" The first voice said.

"This is stupid!" Diona screeched. "You just wait 'till I tell Daddy about this! He'll- he'll..." She trailed off for a moment. Diluc's eyes shot to her. A small sob racked her tiny body.

"Oh. No, no, it'll be fine. I promise- okay? Hey, we'll be alright," He said, crouching to her level. A louder sob erupted from her and he reached out to grasp her shoulder. But she flinched away and swatted at his hand. She hissed and turned on her heel, running away.

"No, Diona!"

"Well good luck! I hope you are capable of making it out!" The robot chirped. The screen glitches for one moment before it flickered to black. Diluc scoffed and braced himself against the tree before trying to catch up to Diona.

Venti huffed, allowing himself to fall back to the ground. "Well this sure is a predicament, wouldn't you say, Khaenri?"

Kaeya's head snapped towards Venti. The uncovered eye was now visible to the small bard. Snow White with different stars and constellations embedded in it. A mark of the Abyss. "Shut up."

The two sat in silence for a few moments.

"Y-you act like this isn't a big deal..." Kaeya muttered.

Venti sat up. "Eh, the archon war was worse," He hauled himself to his feet. "Now, are you gonna continue sulking here about your vulnerability-" He pointed to his own eye. "Or, are we gonna go help Master Diluc find that little girl?" He held out a hand to help Kaeya stand.

The captain scowled and smacked his hand out of his face. He stood by himself and dusted himself off. "That 'little girl's' name is Diona," He brushed his bangs away from his eyes and pushed past the Anemo archon.

Venti huffed once more and followed behind at a fair distance.