Veiled Emotions - A Scaramouche fanfic

Chapter 1 - New Beginnings

It was 7AM when I woke up that day. It was an ordinary day, the morning sunrays were piercing through the curtains mixed with the usual early morning noises from the bustling streets of liyue. I took a deep breath and turned my head to the side and glanced at the surface of the nightstand by my side. Nope. There was no sign of it. I checked under the bed, still nothing. I sighed and got out of bed and started getting dressed into my exquisite robesrobes and all those gold ornaments.

The item I had been so desperately wanting to appear out of nowhere was a vision. I had been working just as hard as everyone else in hopes of being blessed with a vision. One by one all my friends started receiving visions but for some reason I had not gotten one yet. I checked my nightstand because my friend Xingqiu said that's where he had found his. I wasn't even going to bother telling him that I found nothing on my nightstand this time.

But somehow he found out anyway. Perhaps the gloomy look on my face gave it away to everyone when I went to Wanmin restaurant for breakfast.

"Aw, that's alright! You can check again tomorrow! It has to show up somewhere.. "

Xingqiu said the exact same thing he said every morning over breakfast. Sometimes I wonder how he had managed to get a vision given how carefree and lazy he is. Don't get me wrong, he is a very skilled swordsman and I have a lot to learn from him but sometimes he just likes to skip training and go read a book in a corner somewhere.

"You will get one, I am sure of it! Maybe it will be pyro just like mine! You just have to be patient." Xiangling giggled as she placed a dish of bamboo shoot soup in front of me.

I managed a weak smile. It was clear I was pretty disheartened by this although I was usually good at concealing my emotions. Even Chongyun was looking at me with pity in his eyes. I sighed and stirred my soup solemnly. It had always been my dream to get a vision. I didn't care which vision it was going to be, I just wanted one and it wasn't just because all my friends had one or anything, I had genuinely wanted one since I was 10.

I had just turned 20 a few months ago and I was starting to feel frustrated by the situation. After breakfast I simply headed home, not wanting to stay there and chat any longer about the matter. My friends are very supportive and nice but I can't help but feel left out sometimes.

"You are finally back! Do you want to go train today or do you want to come with me to learn how the clan works and how I deal with matters related to the clan? " My father was quick to greet me with a smile. He was doing some reading as he sat on an armchair by the window.

I was used to this, ever since I started losing hope in getting a vision, both my parents had wanted me to learn the clan's affairs so I could take over the Liyue branch when I am older.

"I am afraid I will have to take a rain check on that. I am not going to go train either. I just.. need some air. I will be going to clear out some hilichurl camps with a few adventurers or something. " I lied. Of course I lied. My father nodded with his usual smile.

"Have fun dear! Oh and don't forget to stop by the store for these groceries-"
My mother handed me a piece of paper with a list of ingredients on it.

I nodded and gave her a forced smile. I knew I was most probably going to forget anyways but oh well. She was just trying to get my mind off of things.

I needed some space and I knew that everyone around me was just going to look at me with pity. I didn't want to be in the city until I felt better. I loved nature and the scenery of Liyue always made me feel better. My father was the head of the Liyue branch of our Inazuman clan called the Shirogane clan. We weren't a huge or well known clan like the Guhua clan in Liyue or the Kaedahara clan in Inazuma, but we were definitely quite wealthy and powerful. In fact the Liyue branch was probably on of the bigger ones and my father oversaw all the affairs there.