Meraki

The Prologue Chapter 1: XianSying

Aether awoke on a strange beach that was surrounded by cliffs. Lumine and Luna were nowhere to be found. In front of him was a man he had never seen before. He had long black hair dyed blue at the end kept in a ponytail. His eyes were a fierce yellow with stars inside of them. A dark blue star shaped earring outlined in silver hung on his left ear. A silver ring rested on the stranger's right ring finger. The most noticeable thing was the giant hilichurl coat the stranger wore.

"Oh, good, you're alive! How'd you end here?" The stranger asked. Aether looked up at him in awe. The person had horns and a tail! Not to mention that his voice was sort of higher pitched than a male his age.

"I-I came here from another world with my sisters, but an unknown god blocked our path. She sealed my power, and sent me here." The traveler explained.

"I see. What are their names? Maybe I can help you."

"Lumine and Luna. Lumine had short blonde hair and golden eyes like me. Her dress is white, and she has a flower in her hair. Luna's hair is platinum blonde in a braid. Her eyes are dark blue and she wears a fluffy coat." As Aether replied, the stranger thought for a moment before shaking his head.

"Sorry, I haven't heard of them. I can keep an eye out for you if you want."

"No offense, but why would a stranger help me?"

"Hm? Oh, I haven't introduced myself, have I? I'm Sying, the King of Khaenri'ah and the Nova Archon of Teyvat."

"You're a god?"

"Sure am! Hey, I didn't get your name either, blondie."

"Oh, my name's Aether."

"Well, Aether, I, the wonderful and mighty Sying, will take you to meet the other Archons! They'll have information on your sister that I can't provide."

"Why don't you know anything, but the others do?"

"Let's just say they have special privileges." Sying sighed, standing up. "We'll head to Mondstadt first. It's the closest nation to our current location." Aether followed the adeptus off the beach and into the forest. Aether was wondering why a king of another nation was traveling, but he didn't want to pry into someone's personal business. He must have been lost in thought for a long time because Sying tapped him on the shoulder. "Look, you can see Mondstadt from here."

"Wow!" Aether gasped, looking at the scenery in front of them. They were overlooking a clearing surrounded by trees. A lake rested in the middle with a statue of Barbatos in the center of a small piece of land. Cliffs were on both sides of the lake clearing, and in the distance the city of Mondstadt could be seen as well. Sying pointed his hand at the Barbatos statue. "That's a statue of the Eight. There are a few of these statues scattered across the land to show the Eight's protection over the world. Among the eight gods, this god controls the wind. C'mon, let's get a closer look."