Rediscovered (Genshin Impact x Reader)

Chapter 6; Memories

(Y/N) sat there in complete and utter darkness, not even the blue crystal lit the area. Her body was chilled but the stone still radiated warmth. She slowly slid her hands up the stone wall, lifting her body from the floor. The events moments prior sat heavy on her mind, making her movements slow and drawn out. She felt her eyes move around the space but no light entered her eyes. She moved around the room, gracing the stone to ground herself. Baby step after baby step, (Y/N) felt the floor dip. Pausing she lowered her body encase it was a long drop. Fingertips to the stone below and beside her, she shuffled forward. One foot tapped ahead like a cane and the other held her balance. (Y/N) hated this. She hated blindly trying to traverse an unknown area.

After what felt like an eternity, (Y/N) caught a glimpse of light. However, it was downward. The cool blue light filtered through a hole just ahead of (Y/N)'s body. Stumbling forward she creeps to the edge, looking through the gap. The opening went straight into a large pool of water, the walls aglow. The pool was deep, and lights went deep down into the water, becoming dimmer and dimmer the further into the middle they went. (Y/N) pauses glancing into the inky abyss she had just left. With few choices presented to her, she leaned forward into the hole. Turning her back to the water, she fell. With no sound from her mouth or struggle from her body she plummeted further into the cave. The crystal-like stars filled her vision making the opening disappear, molding into the ceiling.

A rush of cold hits her back and the water welcomes her with open arms. But the feeling quickly disappeared, leaving (Y/N) confused. She didn't feel wet, she didn't feel anything. Like all her nerve endings had disconnected themselves, severing her from the world. Opening her eyes, she stared at an empty field. The field was splattered in red. Beasts of all kinds sat at her feet, unmoving. She didn't hold any fear or discomfort at the sight; on the contrary, she felt pride and pity for the creatures.

Gently, she moved through the carnage, being mindful of her steps. Something among the carnage caught her eye, and her (E/C) eyes widen swiftly snatching up a mask that felt like a piece of herself. The mask held a melancholy expression, the eyes held sadness and a far-off look that stared into her very soul. She drifted her eyes over the beautiful work of the design, every dip and edge had a purpose.

Blood now stained her legs and clothes as she kneeled in the carnage. Only now had (Y/N) realized her clothing was different, it appeared to be an undamaged version of what she woke up in years ago. She felt more robust than before and very calm. Her mind did not ache or worry about the future or past, it focused on the now. She felt eyes linger on her body, one's that felt caring and non-violent. Turning back (Y/N) saw a man standing across the field. His fingertips start gold then fade to black up his arms, he wore white robes that ran to his ankles. His face was... gone. She couldn't make out the blur that filled her eyes. He was approaching her at a steady pace, gracefully weaving around the corpses. Raising from the ground she looked up at the faceless man. Muddled words filled her ears, words that were just as hard to decipher as his face.

...Xiao's POV...

"What do I do!?" Xiao was panicking, fears he thought he pushed way down were resurfacing at full throttle. "She can't—!" Memories of her corpse hitting the rock swirled in his mind, thoughts of losing his teammate again... hurt. He wasn't someone to dwell on people's deaths. It was a part of life, he knew that. He just got an old friend back and now she was trapped behind the stone. He couldn't tell if she was okay, or what was happening. He couldn't sense anything. He blamed himself, Xiao believed if he was only a little stronger he could have bared more of her burden then she would've been safe.

Teleporting to Zhongli was his next move, he had to let him know about this new development. However, He felt a certain traveler on his balcony with... something.