Prologue

"I find God in the stars

I look on as my hope lingers

I take solace in the stars

As the sun won't come out for my kind

I look inside one and see papa

He looks just like me now

Young and radiant

I've looked on for so long

When I'm done standing here

You will recognize me no more

For I will be a god in the stars" 

- Yewande Adedokun

"Keep moving" A grubby voice sounded, and I felt the pain before I heard the blow. I fell to the ground, unable to keep my balance thanks to my hands tied behind my back. It wasn't unusual for slaves to be given such treatment. We are considered lower than filth to these men. They call themselves the fatui, the loyal men who serve the Tsarista, I see them as no more than a bunch of dregs.

"What are you lookin' at, girl, get the hell up" One pulled me by my hair, and I almost bit off my tongue to keep from screaming in pain. I winced, my back already bruising I'm sure, with the wound I just got, as I dredged along the line. We, the slaves from the Dyrian village were now being led to the docks of Sumeru, probably to ship us to Snezhnaya from there.

My eyes blurred, and my head felt heavy as I thought about the future that awaited me. Will I be forever subjected to this derogatory treatment until the day I stop breathing? Should I try to escape? I bit my lip so hard, that I could taste blood.

Will my father come to save me? Is he even alive-

"Let's camp here" I heard the fatui commander say, while his right hand shook his head. "Master, we're unguarded here, the desert is vast and we don't have enough men to keep watch, I suggest we -" They continued to whisper, but i couldn't hear it over the wind.

We had been dragged through the desert for almost a week now, and I could see our supplies were draining despite the slaves being starved. I looked at the one before me, eyes glazed, mouth open and gasping, eyes the water the commander was sipping on. The cruelty of life made me question why the Archons put us through such misery.

In the current world of Teyvat, unfairness reigns. If you're lucky, you'll get a blessing of the gods, a vision. A vision not only gives you strength and the power to protect yourself but also respect. If even one person from your family owns it, your income and social standing change in a day. I wanted to have the power to protect my father, the only family I had left.

That is, of course, if you're lucky. I was born with no luck. I trained, and trained and trained, hoping my vision would come, but it didn't.

"One must face the cruelities of life to be noticed by the Gods," said my teacher, the man who taught me to protect myself. "It will come, child"

So I waited and waited. Even when they came and dragged my father away, and I watched helplessly as they tore my limbs, and that man, Dottore, laughed at my pointless struggle, all I could think of was, is this not cruelty enough? My whole life is being torn apart, so where the hell are the Gods? Do I still not satisfy their conditions?

Screw them.

The harbingers. The Archons. Even the heavenly principles, screw them all-

The Fatui instructed us to set our camp here. Looks like the leader finally acknowledged the fact the slaves were drained of energy and couldn't continue without rest after all. That means I looked around. There were fewer guards, just like I overheard them say. Could I escape? And go where exactly? Run around aimlessly in the desert until death comes for me? I laughed at my foolish thoughts and looked at the sky. For all the curses I threw at it, it smiled back with nothing less than a beautiful view of stars.