Departure

Author's Note:

I can finally reveal my piece for "Hymn of the Dragon," a HSR Fan Zine Project dedicated to Imbibitor Lunae that I joined a while ago. <3

I am very grateful for this opportunity that allows me to write for my favorite character in Honkai Star Rail. Thank you to all the mods for your hardwork, and also to my fellow contributors for all of your wonderful pieces. ^^

You can check out the project's social media here: @/danhengILzine (Twitter/Tumblr).

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"The succession is completed. Heir of the Azure Dragon, Commander of the Clouds and the Rain, Imbibitor Lunae, once again, please accept our greeting."

Before his eyes, Yubie watches as hundreds of people bow in front of him. The Council of Preceptors, the Pearlkeepers, servants of the High Elder, all Vidyadhara of his clan—they lower their heads in reverence, extending their salutation upon his emergence.

He knows them now, and at the same time, he knows them from a time long ago, even if some no longer possess the same appearances they have in the past. It is a bizarre feeling, one that he cannot describe well in words. Perhaps, in the entire Ancient Sea, only he and four others have the privilege—or curse—to undergo this experience in every lifetime.

The Orb of Abysm and the Transmutation Arcanum now sleep inside of him. If he were to close his eyes for just a moment, he would be able to see those sights again: The vast blue expanse of the Roiling Deep, the people of his kin changing nature to suit their needs, and how the powers of their Ancestor slowly slip away from their hands, turning the nature once harmonious into their enemies.

Since when does it happen? For what reason does it happen? The water and its inhabitants used to listen to them and follow their every whim, but have they abused the powers of the Ancestor so much that their homeworld now turns against them in retaliation?

Yubie does not know, and neither does he feel the need to know. Regardless of what merits or faults have taken place in the past, the responsibility now falls on his shoulders to protect and guide his people to a new world, together with the other four who bear similar blessings and burdens as him for being born as the five Scions deemed closest to the Permanence.

"This oath shall remain unbroken, standing stronger than even earth and steel."

The year is 4800 of the Star Calendar. All prominent figures and leaders of the Xianzhou Alliance have gathered on the Yuque flagship to witness the birth of a new era in the alliance's long history: the day when they welcome the Vidyadhara as one of their own. And for the Vidyadhara, it is the day when they cast off their old shell that is their homeworld for good, along with all their memories and civilization from countless Amber Eras ago to begin life anew.

Caelorum Venti the Winged Dragon, Ardens Regia the Horned Dragon, Mons Grandis the Terrestrial Dragon, and he, Imbibitor Lunae of the Azure Dragon, stands by Glaciator Marum of the Scaled Dragon as they sign the covenant on behalf of their people. With that, bestowed upon them is a dwelling place for the Vidyadhara on the alliance's five flagships, each with a Plaguemark of the Abundance that they have vowed to guard in exchange for this new home.

Standing in front of an enormous tree stump that once bore the fruit of immortality, Yubie gazes pensively upon the dead Ambrosial Arbor. Its massive roots are spread in the depths of the Scalegorge Waterscape, a piece of their old home brought onto the flagship along with the waters of Lunarescent Depths.

Yubie ponders and weighs his choices for a long time, and he thus says:

"The Xianzhou Alliance has given us a new home when ours no longer accepts us. I shall henceforth call upon the waters of the Ancient Sea to seal the roots of the Ambrosial Arbor, so this Plaguemark will sleep forevermore within the Scalegorge Waterscape, never to threaten the alliance ever again."