𝐔𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐌𝐀𝐓𝐑𝐀'𝐒 𝐔𝐌𝐁𝐑𝐄𝐋𝐋𝐀 | genshin impact

| 01 |: Betrayal

The glass slipped out of your grasp and shattered into a myriad of pieces on the floor, spilling wine all over the carpet. As blood spurted past your lips, you dropped onto your knees with a palm pressed against your mouth, thin trails of blood drawing red tendrils on your fingers. Azar's cold gaze pierced the back of your head as he stood before you, merely watching you slowly succumb to your demise with his hands tucked behind his back.

"As the God of Medicine, normal poison won't have any effect on you," he uttered solemnly, "That's why Naphis created a particularly potent one from the plants in the Withering Zones."

Your pupils dilated. Naphis, the scholar whom you personally trained in the medicinal arts before he became the Sage of the Amurta Darshan, did this? He used the abundant knowledge you had bestowed upon him against you...

You were betrayed by your one and only student who you thought you could trust with your knowledge.

"A-Azar..." you hoarsely whispered, gazing up at him with a mixture of emotions swirling like a whirpool in the depths of your hues. You wanted to do something, to retaliate, to put Azar and the other sages in their places for going against you, but your tongue and limbs were beginning to grow numb.

Azar hummed, sensing your struggles.

"'I will never rebel against the Dendro Archon's will'. 'I will live quietly in Gandharva Ville'," he said, repeating the words you once spoke to the Six Sages of Sumeru after they had found Kusanali in a scorched ruin, "Those were your promises to Sumeru. But do you realise just how terrifying you are?" Then, his expression contorted into one of contempt. He was looking at you as if you were an insect - someone beneath the humans. "You're powerful enough to overthrow an entire nation. How could the Akademiya let such a monster stay alive?"

His words hit you like a tonne of bricks. You? A monster? You clenched your fists against the floor as your arms shook with the anger bubbling up inside you.

"If you want to blame someone for your misery..." Azar paused, stepping aside to reveal a certain man standing in the doorway of your home, his Pyro Vision ablaze in his fist. "... blame the General Mahamatra for forsaking you."

Your eyes burned with the betrayal you felt as tears of fury and frustration brimmed in them. You gritted your teeth, wanting to scream and lash out at the General Mahamatra for easily casting you aside. You wanted to release a plague that will sweep over Sumeru for a millennia and reduce everyone - everything into a pile of bones and rotting flesh.

How could you... HOW COULD YOU?! -you wanted to yell out to him. But all you could was glare at him as you spluttered out choked gasps.

You had underestimated the people of the Akademiya. Even the General Mahamatra, whom you have trusted your whole heart with, had forsaken you in the end to live. You did everything you could to protect Sumeru for Rukkhadevata and Deshret, but your painstaking efforts and sacrifice were reciprocated with a crushing betrayal.

"We don't expect your forgiveness," Azar said as he signaled to the General Mahamatra with a nod of his head. On cue, the General Mahamatra released a violent surge of dancing flames that quickly consumed your house. The Grand Sage turned on his heel and exited from your burning home, but not after uttering, loud and clear for you to hear, "Die here quietly so that Sumeru can move into the future without fear."

You were soon left all alone, the heat of the flames from your surroundings gradually engulfing your body.

Is this how you'll meet your end?

You sobbed loudly, falling forward on your hands as you grieved for the lonely, inevitable end you were about to meet. Tears dripped from your eyes as you implored for Celestia to hear your final wish.

Don't ever... let me be reborn into this world.

You no longer wish to protect Sumeru.

Then, a flaming wooden beam cracked above you.

.

.

.

You suddenly spat your tea out, the intense spray hitting Kaveh square in the face.

"Ugh, GROSS!" he shrieked as he shot up from his seat, desperately wiping his face with his handkerchief, "What the hell was that for, lil sis?!"

A waiter immediately approached your table to clean your mess up, while Kaveh continued to go on a rant about how you had just ruined his clothes. Ignoring him, you slammed your teacup on the saucer and pressed a palm against your forehead.

You remembered. You remembered your previous life as a god of Sumeru and as the Dendro Archon's and Deshret's friend, and your previous life ending because of the Akademiya's betrayal... Your gaze then focused on Kaveh, who's the older brother of your mortal reincarnation. He's a renowned architect as well as a former student belonging to the Kshahrewar Darshan, and the thought of being biologically related to a distinguished graduate of the Akademiya left a bitter taste in your mouth.

Did Celestia play some sort of sick joke on you?

You subconsciously stared at Kaveh in disgust, and that didn't go unnoticed by him.

"Why are you looking at me like I'm some sort of worm?" he asked, oblivious to the underlying hatred in your eyes.

"Akademiya scum," you muttered - but your brother heard you.

"Did you just- HEY! You're a student of the Akademiya too!" he exclaimed in exasperation, pointing at you with his index finger, which you were tempted to just bite off, "And I'm your older brother! You can't just insult me like that..."

You quickly rose from your seat, your glare growing more intense with every second that ticked by.

"I can easily change my status as both a student of the Akademiya and your younger sister," you told Kaveh, spinning on your heel to leave the tavern the two of you were having lunch in.

"Wh-wha-" Kaveh couldn't formulate a proper response, utter confusion taking over his mind as it tried to process what you were implying. "(Y/n), wait! You can't be serious-"

His pleas for you to come back fell on deaf ears.

You have to withdraw from the Akademiya immediately.