Serenity || Genshin Impact

'To be [deserving] of happiness.'

Zavian presented the rice porridge to the two of them and sat down. The three men remained silent until Zavian spoke up.

"...As you know, I had a nightmare. In that dream, I met Nahida."

Kaveh's eyes widened, "Huh? You met who?!"

 "She's better known as Lesser Lord Kusanali, right? She gave me this before I woke up," Zavian presented the leaf he stuffed into his pocket. It was transparent and weighed almost nothing, but one could still feel its warmth.

"Could I have a look?" Alhaitham reached out a hand and Zavian nodded. Kaveh, who felt a flare of elemental energy, watched him stare at the leaf, then pass it back to its owner. "It seems to be a protection charm. You should keep it with you at all times."

"Huh? A protection charm...? But why..." Zavian's words trailed off as he searched for a possibility as to why she would need to use her scarce powers to protect him.

"You're an outlander, someone foreign to this world. I'd theorise it has something to do with the faint Ley Line energy on you," He said, holding his book in his left hand, and spoon in the other.

"Wait a minute, what? Hold on." Kaveh slouched over the table, his hand clasped on his forehead. "'Foreign'? 'Ley Line energy'? What exactly did you guys talk about when I wasn't here?"

Zavian glanced at Alhaitham, but to his surprise, he began talking first. "If you had paid more attention to the guest you invited into someone else's home, perhaps you would have known. Thankfully, the guest was so considerate that he even started cleaning up your messes."

"Ugh, hey... I mean, it's true that I did neglect Zavian and for that, I'm sorry, but it wasn't like I didn't have a good reason! I was busy!"

"Busy doing charity work."

Suddenly, knocking came from the front door. The two of them looked towards Alhaitham, and he got up to answer it. After a few exchanges of words, he explained what the person said.

"There was an accident outside. One student was carrying incense, and through some means, it caught on fire after the student tripped and fell. It was all quickly resolved, however. The man simply came in to apologize if there was any strange smell."

"Oh, so that was the cause for all the ruckus before? I hope they're okay." Kaveh said.

"What? When was it?" Zavian asked.

"Ah, a little while ago, actually. Around the time you started having a nightmare. But I didn't mention it since I was too preoccupied with what was happening..."

Zavian remained quiet but broke out of his thoughts when he noticed the two stared at him.

"Uh... Well, getting back on track; the truth is, I'm not from this world. I knew this world from a game, which also means that I know a bit of the future of this world as well..."

Kaveh slowly blinked twice, processing the information. "So, okay. You're not from here, and you know the future. Okay, I understand." He nodded, repeating as if convincing himself.

"You believe me?"

"Well, you'd be the world's best conman if you could fool Alhaitham. You don't seem the type to lie about something like this, either. What about the Leylines, though?"

"I don't know about the 'Ley Line energy' Alhaitham talked about either... If I recall, Lesser Lord Kusanali said I made a 'rustle' in the Irminsul."

"...How interesting," Alhaitham said and ate a spoonful of porridge.

"And... I think because of the incense outside, I saw the Iriminsul. There was a voice calling out to me. 'World, forget me', sh...it said." Zavian pinched himself. Actually, was there a point in acting clueless? The cat's out of the bag, and they know that he knows the future, so what was he still doing this for? 

Perhaps he was afraid to change the future. To the past he was bold, yet faced with fear when given the option to alter the present and future.

"'World, forget me'...?" Kaveh repeated, but unfortunately, none of them could provide a continuing statement.

'Whatever'. Zavian's brain was so clouded that he gave up on thinking altogether. There was one thing he wanted to test, too, so why not spill a little hint? Such a thing couldn't hurt. "Uh," he started, looking around to see if there was any paper. He silently whispered in his mind; if Nahida were watching, she wouldn't read his mind about what he was about to write. He quickly scribbled a few words down; 'To be honest, that was Greater Lord Rukkhadevata's message to Nahida.'

"...?" The blonde glazed his eyes over the page. Then, he looked over to the linguistics guy to see if he understood this language.

"Hm. I'm sure you're trying to say something important. Still, we're unable to read the language you wrote," Alhaitham said, studying the complicated strokes that reminded him of some other ancient languages. It resembled something he saw a long time ago on a relic from Liyue.

"Oh... So that's how it works." Zavian scratched his head, contracting his arm. "Okay, well, that's alright too. I didn't want to let a certain someone overhear so I wrote something in my language." 

"If that's the case, then it's fine. I'll decipher this. Give me another sentence in your language."

The two conversed while eating. Kaveh quietly listened to the two of them as he did too, inevitably feeling left out of the conversation. It was also nice to just listen, he thought. When he finished his food, he left for his room after a comment; "It's late, so don't stay up too long, you guys. G'night."

"Goodnight to you too. Sweet dreams."

"Goodnight."

-

The next days passed without a hitch. It almost became something he was used to the repetitive process of; cooking, cleaning, reading, and taking a walk around the perimeters. Alhaitham gave him a spare key, too, so that if he wanted to go out even though both Kaveh and he weren't home, he'd be able to lock the door. Alhaitham was out and about more frequently than usual, leaving Zavian and Kaveh home. Often, out of boredom, they would play Genius Invocation TCG, with Zavian borrowing Alhaitham's deck. After the first game they played, Kaveh would exclaim in surprise; "I didn't know you were so good at TCG! Hey, I'll introduce you to Cyno. You know him, right? I'd honestly pay to watch a match between you two!" 

Their win-and-loss ratio is currently three to seven.

Zavian chuckled as he remembered his frustrated expression whenever Kaveh lost. As he fiddled with the cards, his mind came to a halt when a thought about whether it was okay for him to have so much fun floated back to his mind; so much happiness was futile if only he was experiencing it. Forcing himself to collect himself back up to avoid another breakdown, he decided to pick up a book and distract himself. 

Today was one of those days when both of them weren't home. He sat on the couch, an open book in his hands, but none of the contents were flowing into his brain, no matter how many times he read a line over and over again. He thought he was used to silence. The typical noise of white static turned into an irritating ringing, clamouring his convoluted mind. 

He once lived in a world absent of words. There were no conversations, no expression of opinions. Just orders, and he'd silently execute them. In the scenario that the presented result was unsatisfactory, he'd face punishment. Even if he did everything they asked correctly; he was just an outlet for anger. But it's alright, he thought. As long as his sibling — a fellow resident in this capricious world, was with him. He could endure this for as long as he needed until he could leave this world. He'd direct all the attention to him, all to protect her.

Zavian's grip tightened on the book, the pages crinkling with force. He placed it down and slowly stood up. He realised that staying home wasn't helping his mind, so the best solution was to take a stroll. 

Today, Kaveh went to Vimara Village to discuss the project with Yusra, and Alhaitham was... well, who knows where he is? All he said was that he was out to take care of some 'matters'.

He was certain that it wasn't just some matter, but who was he to intrude into their lives? All he needs to do is to repay what he owes, and find a way back to 'real life'. 

Yes, that's exactly what he needs to do.

There's no need to get so attached. 

No—he can't afford to.

- 

uhhh little zavian lore heavy these chapters. still hope you guys enjoyed.