It's the night of August third, the night of the festival, and the night Draken is supposed to die. Hina coupled up with Takemichi and Emma coupled up with Draken as they explored the many stalls and stood under the warm lights playing games at the festival. The girls wore their elegant kimonos and wooden sandals and their hair was neatly tied up with gorgeous pins as they walked with soft smiles brightening their faces.
Everything was going well, the night being one that'll be fondly remembered, up until a point where everything will begin to go downhill. And the trigger was when it started to rain.
Droplets of water dropped from the dusky clouds and slapped the floor violently, painting everything a few shades darker. The air smelled suffocating as drop after drop surrounded [ Name ] and unsurprisingly landed on her body as she stood in the middle of the empty pathway.
Hair stuck to her face and water dripped to the crevices of her eyes before sliding down her cheek to replicate tears. The traditional clothes she borrowed from Hina clung to her body as her head hung low to look down at the ground in front of her.
[ Name ] stood all alone in the rain on this night that was supposed to be one filled with joy, the couples having gone their separate ways, leaving her alone. She appreciated the invitation in the first place, but she knew when she was third wheeling, so she had broken away from the group voluntarily— saying that she had plans when she really didn't.
She just felt that her energy was constantly being sapped out of her when she saw Takemichi and Hina laughing together and blushing freely. And for some reason, it made her really bitter. She could only link the feeling to jealousy. Not because she wanted to be in replacement of one of the two, but because she was envious she couldn't have what they did.
No matter how much she longed for it throughout the day, there would be no one to show up in fancy clothing to surprise her, to link arms with her and happily chat as they shared different festival foods, or to look at one another as fondly as the couples here did.
So to rid these negative thoughts, she excused herself from the group, using the excuse of having something to do.
[ Name ] continued to let the rain hit her without bothering to find cover, her arms hugging her body close as they wrapped under her chest while she lost herself in her thoughts. The fabric around her body felt heavy on her, sticking to her skin like soggy bandages.
The whole situation made her think about the conversation with Hina and Emma from a few days prior. Seeing the couples made the feelings she was burying for the sake of keeping face sprout up without mercy, twisting her expression into one of sorrow as she subconsciously bit down on her bottom lip and chewed on it.
'Will I ever even be able to see him again?' She thought, her heart stuttering out an unsure response as the thought passed that it was very likely she would never see him again.
She was having her doubts, and rightfully so. Night after night she would tirelessly slave away in this world to rid it of demons that were here for an unknown purpose. But was she slowly killing herself for nothing at all in the end? She would never have definite confirmation. And that's what worried her.
She hated how she could only think about the fact she left things unresolved because she didn't want to take initiative and make the first move.
She felt like a husk, empty without a purpose as she stood there with the rain only continuing to grow and nurture her pessimistic thoughts.
But alas, she did have a purpose. That purpose took its shape in a contract created over 2,700 years ago, one that devoted her time into protecting the weak from the cruel. And if that contract had to transfer from Teyvat to this world, so be it. She would follow it through, even if it left her with regrets and pain she would have to live with for as long as she lived here.
[ Name ] lifted her head up and steeled her feelings into ones of determination. With the back of her hand, she wiped away the streaks of rain falling down her face and at her eyes gently before walking the path to see where it would lead her.
She had made it out of the barren festival site all the way to the entrance before she was faced with the street that branched off into different neighborhoods. She stared at the different pathways, each having their own desolate and quiet vibes as the light of the buildings and street-lamps reflected against the puddles of water on the ground.
Although her senses weren't as sharp in this world as they were in Teyvat, there was a particular street that made her gut twist nauseously. She knew to trust that intuition of hers and proceeded to make her way over, all while still taking in the rain and ignoring it to the best of her ability.
The buildings were close together, built almost as if they were meant to be connected, but all having different structural designs and materials. The bricks were a deep red hue from being soaked in water and the moss and vines that grew alongside the buildings glistened prettily. The air smelled damp and earthy, nature showing itself most potent when the clouds emptied onto the earth.
Meanwhile, [ Name ] kicked loose stones in the sidewalks ever so often as she squinted and tried to see past the heavy rain.
There was a thin layer of fog in the air that also wasn't helping in the slightest, but she pushed through and darted her eyes back and forth from building to building, wondering if she should make her way on top of one of the rooftops at some point. As soon as she spotted a fire escape at the side of one of the buildings, she made the decision that she was going to scale it, but something made her freeze and decide otherwise.
A deep shout became buried within the pitter patter of rain, but her sharp ears had picked up on it nonetheless.
Her eyes widened and she snapped her head in the direction it came from. The voice reverberated in her ears, and without any further notice, she turned to her side and started walking in the direction of the voice before she broke out into a jog that accelerated into a sprint. As she ran, the rain seemed to hit her harder from her perspective, her movements limited from the kimono she wore making her loosen it at the legs as she ran to provide better mobility.
She made a sudden stop as she ran past a particular street, her wooden sandals skidding against the ground, and the sight before her gave her no time to be indecisive.
The demon's long spider-like legs dug into the bricks of the building, crumbling the foundation as rubble fell to the ground and hit the pavement loudly. It traveled while staying above the ground by impaling its legs into one side of the street's buildings to the other, and underneath the warm glow of the lamppost in its trajectory stood a figure.
It was a boy with blonde hair who could only stare upwards with dread, wondering if this was all just a nightmare, however the rain hitting his head and shoulders was all too real.
The weapon began to form into [ Name ]'s hands, glitter waning into existence as a see through outline of it gradually filled in with color until the item could become fully solid. When it did, she gripped it tightly, feeling her fingers hold onto it, making her glad that she was able to do it without much struggle this time. Perhaps it was because of the adrenaline after hearing someone's pleas for help or the emotional torment she had put herself through earlier.
The demon's dozens of eyes that rapidly scanned around it constantly was quick to notice [ Name ] upon sensing the dangerous aura she was emitting. As it was previously reaching its head downwards towards the boy in the alley, it stopped any and all movements as it assessed the more pressing matter at hand. All those dozens of empty, dark, hatred-filled eyes locked onto the girl who could only reciprocate the look with a hint of sorrow.
Gummy black goo stuck to its sharp teeth as it opened and closed its mouth, thinking [ Name ] looked far more appetizing than the boy it was about to eat. The strong ones are always the tastiest after all, and besides, why would it ignore a potential threat in favor of having a quick last meal? It has the chance to defeat the much larger threat and multiply the nutrition gained by a hundred fold.
It slid its claws down, creating drag marks in the buildings as it descended to reach the ground, ready to rush at [ Name ] knowing being suspended like it was would be a disadvantage on its end.
All this assessment happened in a split second, and [ Name ] was just as quick to respond as she focused and carefully eyed its movements and mannerisms to see if there were any obvious weak spots. Since it was in the air and decided to go closer to the ground, thus shielding its underside, she figured that was where it must be.
"Are you okay over there?!" She shouted as she readied her stance and [ parried / dodged ] one of the sharp legs of the demon that came crashing down towards her.
The boy didn't answer, which slightly worried her, but if she focused enough she could hear his erratic breathing which told her that he was alive at the very least.
As the battle commenced, [ Name ] was the first to get a hit in as the creature screamed once its flesh was pierced, the inky black of its skin splitting to reveal pinks and crimsons of its innards.
[ Name ] continued to ruthlessly slash as the large torso, finding that the legs were too hard to sever like she originally planned on doing. She would slice again and again, no matter how shallow they would go and how ineffective this method was, she wouldn't stop knowing only the fittest one of the two would survive. So she would push past her limits like never before, absorb the karma with every slash painfully without protection, and let it swirl through her veins and boil her blood.
The anger and pain would be released through each attack she sent its way, and the karma would pile up more and more as negative thoughts invaded her mind, making her feel guiltier and weaker as the battle went on. Her heart would cry as it tried to keep up with the rest of her body and give as much support as she was demanding, painful throbbing making her flinch and gasp for air once in a while that would cause her to withdraw a fair distance from the demon. She would quickly jump back into battle after the brief shocks of pain would settle, but they would happen more and more frequently as time passed.
It wasn't long after she started experiencing the side effects of channeling karma until the demon was defeated, its legs curling into itself as it shrieked, as if in its last efforts it was seeking some sort of comfort. It was a manner similar to ones she would sometimes find herself in, and she couldn't help the wave of pity that crashed through her as her eyes softened with utmost respect.
The corpse quickly fizzed out of existence with the usual gold glitter that accompanied all life forms of her world, and along with it, her weapon had vanished as well. She no longer had the energy to maintain its form and was only barely keeping it here as it was, so she was glad the demon had perished when it did.
[ Name ] breathed heavily and winced at the blood running down her head to her forehead and traveling along her nose, quick to focus on healing that wound with the little energy she had left.
She felt her heart beating erratically, her eyes shot wide from the adrenaline refusing to let her eyelids rest. Her chest moved up and down quickly as she took quick breathes in and out, each intake of air painful and sending a shooting, stabbing pain through her heart every time.
Her joints felt stiff as if they were going to lock up and freeze her in place, and she knew if she moved right away, she would experience extreme pain, so she just stood there trying to retain her consciousness. She swallowed down the growing saliva in her mouth that formed from the pain and pressed her lips together as she focused on breathing through her nose.
"Incredible! What are you, a guardian angel?"A voice suddenly pierced through the still air, the clouds overhead still ashy, but no longer dropping rain on the land below. Within the layer of fog that stayed persistent around them the whole time, the boy approached her, staring at her bruised and bleeding figure in awe.
She turned her attention over to the boy, forgetting he was even there in the first place. She fixed her posture and left her semi-relaxing state as she maintained an unbothered front, as unbothered as one could look with blood decorating their face like they came straight out of a horror movie.
[ Name ] shrugged in response to what he said as she took a step forward, walking over to get closer to the boy and ignoring the ache in her legs as she began to check him for any injuries.
"I'm just a vigilante of sorts." She answered with a slightly raspier voice than her normal one. She gently picked up his arm and raised it, the boy watching her every action with curiosity.
Finding all his limbs were still attached, she nodded her head agreeing with her own thoughts that he seemed physically unscathed. Perhaps mentally he would suffer since humans naturally have delicate minds, but a trait she adored about them was their will to bounce back and overcome. She sincerely hopes that would be the case for this boy.
"What's your name?" He asked, taking in all her features. The kimono made her look like a historic royal and her messy appearance, although something she would probably consider improper at the moment having gone through hell today, looked almost intentional with how it fit her perfectly. Like these specific features were only owned by her and no one else, even if he's sure he's seen people with similar ones.
She let go of his arm and nodded her head to herself before taking a step back, trying her best to muster up a smile, however she still felt rather uneasy and could only grant an apathetic look for the boy.
"It's [ Name ]."
After she said that, she felt her head magnetically move back and forth as she shook her head slowly before turning around.
"Actually, forget about this interaction. It's better off not to meddle in things beyond your level of understanding." She said, a small sigh following her words. Without a beat in between she began to walk off, the fog making her become harder to see with each step she took.
The boy shook his head back and forth as well, taking a few steps forward to follow her, never letting his eyes wander away from her as if she would disappear the moment he even blinked.
"Wait, but I want to understand. That creature-- there's no way it's from this world. The hell was that and who are you really?" He asked, curiosity in his tone that made her slightly skeptical in response. Of course anyone would be curious after an interaction like that, but he just seemed too calm and intrigued. It was like he had been waiting for something like this to happen and knew it would some day, so he didn't want the opportunity to pass him now.
[ Name ] sighed as she slowed and swirled her tongue around in her mouth. Takemichi certainly wouldn't like it if she went around sharing her circumstance with even more people, but this boy was very much involved having been attacked by one of these demons.
She would choose to follow Takemichi's suggestion, to trust him since he was of this world and knew better than she did pertaining to the people here. He had only good intentions for her after all, and if he felt she needed to protect her 'secret' as he called it, she would consider it. Like now.
"I'm not obligated to answer that. Please, head straight home for your own safety. It's dangerous to be out at night," she said. Her walking speed increased as she moved to leave the scene, the fog quickly consuming her figure.
The boy, still in subtle shock of the whole interaction inside, felt the static in his legs return the slightest at her words of it being dangerous at night. The possibility of encountering more of those creatures made him torn between grinning or frowning.
Realizing her figure was already completely shrouded by the fog, he took a step forward and cupped his hands around his mouth, the tips of his fingers lightly bumping against the bottom of his golden rimmed glasses.
"Tetta Kisaki, that's my name! Listen angel, I won't be forgetting about this anytime soon!"
[ Name ] felt a malicious chill shoot through her spine hearing the echoing yell behind her, the chill reaching from the bottom of it to the very top where her brain was connected with nerves, which reacted by sending a tingling sensation throughout her body. She didn't know why she felt this, but she shook it off and blamed it on her being exhausted. Little did she know how it was a warning of caution, in too much pain to differentiate the negative gut instincts from the positive.