In Chenyu Vale on a hot summers day when everybody is at work a woman was laying in a bed with doctors by her side and her mother for support.
The beads of sweat stream down her back, chest and forehead as she cried out in pain.
She cried, screamed, and shouted things such as. "I can't do it anymore!"
The doctors who are alarmed by this statement in such an important moment kept helping her and trying to relief some pain. "He is almost out. Just a few more pushes "
The mother moves the dark brown hair out of her daughter her face and sees how pale she is as she looks at the blood her daughter her lost from trying to push the child out of her.
Child birth is the hardest thing a woman's body can go trough and sadly very deadly.
"Xun Ji you can do it." She speaks encouraging words to her daughter who was holding her hand with such a tight grip the mother thought it would break.
The woman screamed from the agonizing pain but there was this sudden relief of pressure as her chest heaves up and down feeling like she might pass out. It would not take long for her to get her beautiful healthy baby son in her arms.
Although it was so painful and she bled a lot as she first thought it would be a miscarriage, she is very pleased that her son is now in her arms.
Her tears of pain turn into tears of happiness. Xun Ji smiles brightly resting her forehead against her baby his forehead the tips of their noses touching.
The mother does notice something and that after some time has passed and the baby opens his eyes she is horrified at what she saw.
"He is-..."
Xun Ji interrupts her mother as smiles and presses gentle kisses on her baby his forehead "He is beautiful. My Guangshan...you are perfect"
· · ───•⊱𖥸⊰•─── · ·
"Guangshan!"
The young boy his head perks up hearing his mother's voice call out to him. He runs back to her but trips over his own legs and falls face down on the pavement. A millelith guard rushes over and helps the boy stand up only to see his eyes which causes him to feel pity for the young boy "careful. Hold my hand ill take you back to your mother"
Guangshan, a young boy with blood red hair that is long and straight bestowed with the beauty of the gods it seems like, tilted his head in confusion. He needs no guidance, he needs no help. He would still comply and hold the guard his hand who helps him back to his mother.
Xun Ji looks at him shocked and kneels down infront of him gently rubbing away the dirt on the scratch that is on the red head his cheek. "I told you not to run off! I was so worried where you were"
Guangshen smiles softly and would hug his mother who would pick him up as she would start to carry him home. It would be a long walk but he happily would cherish this time to spend it with his mother. "Mother I am getting better at running! Did you see? It is going really well"
The woman does not agree with that statement at all. "I much rather prefer if you would walk so it is safer."
"But I want to be like the other kids"
"But you aren't Guangshan. You must be careful. You were born blind. You have been getting good at things such as walking and navigating on your own yet it still scares me when you run around aimlessly."
Understanding what his mother his saying Guangshan still puts on a slight pout and keeps holding onto his mother. "Can we practice again when we get home?" The red head asks and gently would play with his mother her hair to keep himself occupied when he is being carried back home all the way to their home.
Xun Ji let's out a soft sigh. If only Guangshan knows how she looks like at this current moment in time. She is littered with bruises and she has been working non-stop to earn some money to pay of her debt that was left by her late husband. Not only that she is getting more and more sick recently so she has to pay for medicine as well. It all is such a stressful situation and all while trying to keep Guangshan out of all of it and to keep him smiling.
"Not today honey. Mommy is feeling tired"
Without a word Guangshan would climb in his mother's bed when they get back home and would brush her hair for her. He knows how sick she has gotten, he knows she is wounded all over her body. He may be only nine but he gets a good idea of what all is going on with his mother, he knows everything.
He may be blind but he isn't stupid.
"Mother..."
Hearing she is already asleep he let's out a soft sigh a little disappointed. They used to have such a close bond but that is slowly fading at that saddens Guangshan greatly yet he must keep strong for his mother.
They both must stay strong for eachother.
Xun Ji had a falling out with her parents and her brother which is why they moved away but that proofs difficult since Xun Ji barely can provide for them anymore. The house has leaks when it rains and the wind slips trough the cracks of the wooden walls.
The red head decided to fall asleep with his mother but waking up next morning he can hear his mother cough and vomit from sheer stress.
He swiftly stands up and rushes over to hold her hair up for her and helps his mother to the bed laying a cold cloth on her forehead. "I'm going to get uncle!"
"No-..."
"Mother"
"I said no...I will be fine honey" Xun Ji smiles up at Guangshen and places a hand on his cheek gently carresing it.
"Mommy will be fine so do not worry"
· · ───•⊱𖥸⊰•─── · ·
Not even a month later Guangshan stands before Xuen Ji her grave near the family home.
He didn't cry since he knows his mother would never have wanted to see him cry and instead he smiles softly thinking back of all the memories.
He carefully lays a bouquet of wild flowers on her grave before he retreats to his new home.
He never met his grandparents but currently he would live with his uncle and aunt and with his cousin.
He overhears them talk about something as it causes him to grow a little curious. Clearly it is a conversation for grown ups yet he wants to know nonetheless.
"What are you talking about uncle?" He asks walking over to him.
Xun Ji her brother Ming Ji and his wife Xue Lu look at the boy.
Their expressions soften a little and Ming Ji shakes his head giving the boy a smile "we were talking about how the Fatui seems to gain popularity in Liyue Harbor. For generations our family has held up a grudge. They-..."
"Come now this is hardly a story fit for children-..." Xue Le said yet seeing Guangshan his expression he falls silent and let's her husband actually finish the tale.
"They killed your great great great greaaaaat grandpa Gao. He was a formidable warrior! Yet he was defeated by the harbinger named Il Capitano"
Somehow this small tale inspired Guangshan. Could he, despite his blindness, become a warrior as well? "I will train to just be like him!"
"I do not think that is possible. Back then training was very extreme. He fought for Morax who on occasion saw him train. Just to train beneath the gaze of those amber eyes must be frightening enough to go one hundred percent"
"Then I'll give one hundred and ten percent!"
Ming Ji chuckles and ruffles Guangshan his hair gently by places his hand on top of the boy his head and rubbing it gently. "Sure you will" it never ceases to amaze him how positive Guangshan is in life. He always smiles and even if he doesn't he tries to remain positive. He never got angry or complained nor did he cry...
· · ───•⊱𖥸⊰•─── · ·
Today would be Guangshan his twelfth birthday and his family always makes sure for any of the children to have a fun and memorable birthday. Sadly recently Guangshan has experienced some bullying by a group of children that live in Liyue Harbor.
This is the exact location where his birthday would be given.
Walking with his uncle, his aunt who is pregnant, and his cousin they know he can't see anything so it would be pointless if they would hire a performance for him he can't see and thus they take him to a restaurant.
He tastes almost all the foods they have their and enjoys every single one of them! Once done though with eating both children are rather bored and so they could go outside, as long as they stick close to the restaurant.
Guangshan takes his cousin her hand runs outside of the restaurant. The play a game of tag and it is a little unfair since Guangshan, despite being blind, is still faster then her, and him having been training more and more his senses have become better and thus he can run around freely and sense her presence within her movement in the air, he can feel her steps on the ground, he can sense it all; but despite that, he still let's her win majority of the time.
Once he and his cousin are out of breath ready to return to the restaurant Guangshan gets distracted.
He feels something land on his hand, he reaches out carefully and gently feels what it is. He feels the creature move its wings away from him resulting him in smiling. The soft delicate wings are the ones of a butterfly. His mother described it to him a dozen of times and each time he is amazed at these little creatures.
Before his mother passed she told him that it is a sign she is with him when a butterfly is near and he takes it to heart.
Although the death of her didn't affect him all that much yet, or he pushes those feelings of grief away, he still took it to heart and now thinks it is his mother that is present on his twelfth birthday.
"I miss you mother. Thank you for coming to my birthday" he whispers softly to the creature.
Guangshan suddenly falls to the ground though and hears the familiar laughter of the group of kids who pushed him to the ground.
"Freak! Look at him talk to that ugly creature"
"What did he say?! Ha, right! He called the butterfly his mother! Pfttttt"
"Yeah look at him sit on the ground right now his pretty white robes all covered in dirt and his hair a mess"
Guangshen was dead silent. He remains seated on the ground.
He grows angry. All his life he has gotten glares and stared yet he doesn't mind that
What he does mind is this bullying.
He balls his hands up in fists as they continue to pester and bully until he snaps.
He grabs the girl by her hair and yanks her down full force on the pavement rendering her unconcious the moment her head hit the ground.
He grabs one of the boys while he stands up and slams his head in a pillar near the restaurant who as well goes unconcious.
Then the leader of the small group runs away frightened of Guangshan.
They never thought he would actually snap?!
The red head chases after the boy who cried and screamed in fear yet all adults thought it were just children playing and the bully didn't want to play anymore so they turned a blind eye.
If only one adult paid attention to what happened next.
Guangshan tackles the boy in the grass.
He kicks and punches the boy over and over again.
He always has been such a peacefully, quiet and calm, carefree child yet now all is show is anger and almost sadistic behavior since he grinning when he beats this child up.
"He gets what he deserves" Guangshan thinks to himself.
What caused this young boy to snap?
He got bullied countless of times before yet he smiled it all off...
Perhaps it is because they made his robes dirty...
Perhaps they scared the innocent creature away that Guangshan thought was a sign of his mother.
Ming Ji looks at his daughter come in the restaurant without Guangshan. He gets concerned and goes outside only to see millelith carry two children to bubu pharmacy who seem to be still unconcious.
Ming Ji recognizes their faces so he leaves his wife and daughter behind to find his nephew.
Running around frantically to find them around the harbor he finds Guangshan sitting beneath a tree crying while clutching something in his hands.
Never once had he seem him cry and thus Ming Ji runs over and pulls the boy immitatly in his arms when kneeling before him to provide comfort "Hey hey shhht shht...uncle Ming Ji is here. I'm here" he whispers and carresses the back of his head.
"Mother-..."
"I know...I know...she is here. She will always be watching over you"
Guangshan's uncle his eyes go past the tree and he sees the boy lay there...covered in blood. He only then realizes that that the bottom of Guangshen his white robes are drenched in blood making the robes fade up from red at the bottom up to white where it is clean.
Horrified his heart sinks.
Pulling away from the hug he cups Guangshan his face to see if he is alright yet seeing he is he glances at the boys body once more. "What did you do?..."
Guangshan remains silent.
He doesn't know if the boy is unconcious or dead.
The red head continues to clutch onto what he has in his hands.
A vision.
A anemo one.
Did he get it because he wanted to be free from the bullying and judgmental stares or was it because in that very moment when he thought his mother was with him he finally had the grief settle in especially since those kids made fun of his mother?
Whether it was freedom or grief it all seemed Iike a sick and twisted joke in Ming Ji his eyes.
But for Guangshan this vision bestowed upon him, after everything he has been trough in life. Not only being born blind, the years of bullying and all of that rewarded with something so special.
Surely this vision is the perfect gift for a boy who just turned twelve.
Atleast that is what Guangshan thinks...
· · ───•⊱𖥸⊰•─── · ·
Guangshan, the only red head of his family would train as hard as he could as always to further improve himself and after he got his vision he got even more skilled.
His whole family has dark brown hair yet he was born with this vibrant blood red hair. The family thinks his father whom Xun Ji always kept secret was a Adepti but they will never know for certain why Guangshan was born with such a vibrant hair color.
Each day he grows more agile and light on his feet, each day his fighting becomes more refined as his fighting more seems like an elegant dance then anything else.
Years have passed by now and Guangshen is twentytwo now and in those years he has gained his anemo vision.
If he would train he would enjoy a stroll, although he cannot see the beautiful scenery of Liyue he sure appreciates the warm setting sun on his skin and the soft wind blowing trough his robes and hair, or he would enjoy listening to stories at the tea house.
A woman wraps her arms around him though when he was listening to the story while he was drinking some tea in the meantime. He heard her coming so he expected for this to happen so he turns to her slightly and presses a gentle kiss on her lips "you ended work early today"
Zhenyi gives the kiss back and would sit down on his lap playing with his incredibly long red hair. "The shop closed early today. How could I not immitatly go see my beautiful boyfriend" she said with a smile on her face.
Guangshan wraps his arms around her waist and has a smile painted on his face. He felt so lucky somebody loves him despite him being blind yet he knows she does not love him back one hundred percent. When he hugs her and rests his face in her neck he smells the perfume of another man. Due to him being blind his other senses are heightened resulting in him being able to smell to despite it being so faint. Thinking it was just from a colleague she has to work with he thinks not much off it and he would close his eyes to entirely relax for a moment. "I have been so bored without you."
"Bored? How come you get bored? You never do-..."
"Perhaps I'm just used to you talking my ears off"
Zhenyi her mouth parts slightly but seeing the grin grow on Guangshan his face she glares at him "Oh you-...you are lucky we are in public otherwise I might have hit you"
Ending up laughing he would press a kiss against her cheek before he would continue to hug her again. "I know. But come on. Let's get some groceries so we can make dinner"
He said letting go of her waiting for her to get off his lap so he can stand up.
The woman takes hold of his hand gently and would walk with him trough Yilong Wharf. She feels bad that she had to say this but it is has to be thrown out there as she would look down at their hands. Recently her family has been questioning her about who her partner is yet she is scared they won't like Guangshan merely because of the fact that he is blind.
She would see family of hers up ahead so she swiftly let's go of Guangshan his arm.
Sensing how tense Zhenyi becomes naturally he can get a understanding why she panicked so much with letting go of his hand and he doesn't blame her at all. "I'm guessing we won't eat together then?"
"No...I'm sorry"
"There is no need to say sorry. I will see you tomorrow "
"Yeah..."
Guangshen seperates from her. This is not his first relationship he had this year. He knows this wouldn't last and so he would walk away to go back home with his head still held high not feeling defeated because somebody was scared of introducing him to their family because of his blindness.
Were his eyes ugly? It didn't necessarily help that a small girl screamed and cried running back to her mother after she saw his eyes screaming they were lifeless and he doesn't have a soul.
In truth that moment earned a chuckle from him.
Truth be told, after that day, he never heard from Zhenyi again.
He didn't blame her though since he can understand why most leave him hanging after a while.
It has been a week from the moment he last saw her. He has decided to take some white fabric and bind it in front of his eyes so they are hidden, like a blind fold, he doesn't know how he looks like with it on so he feels with his hands if it is sitting correctly.
Guangshan always wonders what it is like to see, what beauty's of the world such as scenery he passes each day without a second thought, he doesn't even know how colors look like.
His mother did try and explain it once but it all was so confusing.
One day the red hopes he can see, one day he hopes he can find somebody to love and see their beauty.