𝐓𝐎 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐒 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐀𝐁𝐘𝐒𝐒. genshin impact

CHPT. 33 A heart beat

"ハートのメロディー"
━━━━━━━━━━

Mortals destroyed the world with their desire. Greed clouded their once noble ambitions, ending their lives by their own hubris. This was normal for humans, mortals and gods, immortals. It was orthodox for them to feel this way.

Teyvat was shrouded by a blanket of stars from the outside world. The protection Celestia claims, was it real or was it to cage them. Was it their fault that they knew nothing of what was beyond their world?

Greed and desire had been the destruction of Astaroth's once joyous life. Though death was constant for him, it was his sister that brought him insanity. She was the only thing that kept him stable, but the moment Celestia chose to take her from him, he slowly grew insane.

The death of his friends. It broke him over ad over again. The cycle of life and death. He experienced this repetitively, endured the pain of thousands of years.

The concept of time was precious to him. Chaos was created over time, and time was constantly in chaos. This was the balance that could never be changed between him and his sister. The only thing that could tip the scales was for one of them to die. But that was impossible.

The gods of Celestia knew...the moment asmoday's life was threatened, their shackle on Astaroth would shatter. He would never hesitate to destroy then entirely if what he held dear was even the slightest bit injured.

But...

Sometimes he wishes he could be selfish. He wanted to turn back time. To the time where neither of them entered Teyvat, where neither of them were told to retrieve the genisi pearl. But even gods like him had to follow rules.

The Archons of Teyvat were not born as deities. Barbatos was a simple wind spirit while Morax was an adepti before ascending to godhood. Astaroth however... he was born a god. Never in his life did he experience humanity. He was a god from the very beginning.

A primordial being that was not shackled by mortal life.

"How is it... That your heart continues to beat even in death?"

He questioned, pressing his hand against the mysterious crimson core within Dragonspine. No one knew what it was, only thinking of it as a bigger scarlet quartz yet... Why does it release a sound so familiar to humans yet they deny it entirely.

But Astaroth knew the truth. Though the skeletal dragon had perished, it's heart continues to beat. Perhaps it was a miracle or an intentional flaw.

Durin was not a normal dragon. He was not an elemental being like Dvalin. Durin was a creation of Alchemy.

"Maybe... You can come back to me. Your heart still beats, now you only need a body. Vindagnyr is where your soul scatters and it refuses to leave."

Astaroth smiles to himself, humming as the crimson core continued to beat a repeating rhythm. It felt so calm and soft, he barely wanted to part from it.

"Master?"

Astaroth hummed to Nyx's call, softly caressing the crystalline heart. How he dearly wished to reverse the time, but he could not.

"Master... Was it truly an accident that Durin fell here? In Vindagnyr, the place you claimed?" She asked, disturbed that the very dragon that swore loyalty to Astaroth took it's master territory as it's grave.