It's Been a Long Time Coming;; Xiaoven

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Time is a strange concept. Really. One moment, you could be having the time of your life with your crush, and the next, you could be staring down at his corpse.

Xiao sped through the empty halls of his university, only looking behind him when he heard the echoes of unhurried footsteps mixed in with his own. He thought nothing of it, not bothering to turn around and instead deluding himself in hopes of completing his mission quickly. He slowed to a stop when he reached room C3. The door was left ajar, and a faint smell of fresh flowers wafted out into the hall. He used his elemental sight to confirm there was nothing dangerous inside.

The door squeaked as he walked in, cautious despite the reassurance from his vision. Mouth agape, he froze in his tracks as soon he saw what was inside. His eyeballs nearly popped out of their sockets, and he tried his best to convince himself it wasn't real, that he was hallucinating, that his eyes were playing tricks on him. But he knew it was real. Inside, Venti was propped up against a wall, fresh blood pooling beneath him. A knife was lodged in his lower abdomen, and multiple cuts could be seen all over his body.

The injuries were recent, his body still warm. Suddenly remembering the footsteps he heard on the way in, he bolted out of the room. He didn't even have time to berate himself for ignoring the obvious clue like he usually would. As he retraced his steps back to the entrance of the school, he eventually found what looked to be the murderer. He was dressed in all black, save for a silver-rimmed mask that hid his features.

"You did this!" Xiao screamed, his voice hoarse. Realizing he had been caught, the murderer increased his pace and quickly ran into a classroom. The door slammed shut just as Xiao turned the corner. Not wanting to waste any time, he searched in every room. While he was checking the fifth room, the killer dashed out from a classroom two doors down and ran in the direction they came from.

Using his vision, Xiao sent out a gust of anemo and knocked him down as he tried to run past. He took advantage of the opening and slammed the killer against the wall. Before he could go in for a second hit, his opponent punched the cement floor. The punch was strong, leaving his knuckles red and bleeding. Before Xiao could analyze this strange move, the ground began to quake. As Xiao tried the steady himself, the murderer had managed to create distance between the two.

"I am not here to fight," he said, in a robotic voice that could only be described as grating.

"Go to hell!" Xiao hissed. He dashed toward the killer in a flurry of anemo, but he dodged the attack easily by stepping to the side. Not faltering for a second, he sent three electro orbs at Xiao. The fight was evenly matched, as Xiao simply slashed the orbs with anemo.

They fought like that for a few minutes, no one able to gain the upper hand. Eventually, the murderer seemed to get bored and retreated to the front entrance.

"Starting now, every move you make will directly affect the future. Enjoy the game, Player 2809," he said, before fading into black particles.

He wanted to chase after him, but he knew it was no use. He was long gone. Instead, he turned and walked back to room C3. He wanted to see Venti one last time before he engaged in this "game" the murderer spoke of.

When he made it to C3, he noticed that the door was in a different position than before. He pushed it to the back of his mind and decided to focus on Venti. As the door swung open, he immediately noticed something was wrong. In place of Venti's corpse, there were only two flowers and a letter. Cecelia and Qingxin. He picked up the letter and read.

To Player 2809.

Hello Traveler, welcome to Genshin Impact! Thank you for choosing to beta-test this new game! Please enter your chosen username and sign below. We appreciate you for taking the time to help us improve our game. Once you sign, the game will officially start. May the game be ever in your favor.

With regards, Team Teyvat.

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Xiao crushed the flowers with his feet and signed the letter using Venti's blood that was now drying on the floor. It felt cruel, but it's not like he had anything else. The ground beneath him warped and his vision turned blurry. He found himself back where it all began, in History class, room C3.

798 Words