Chapter 2 - Inazuma
A/N: Things to note before you read too far:
1. This fanfiction will take place in an AU. Much of it will be canon, but I will be taking a handful of liberties here and there for the sake of plot. If you do notice an unintentional lore issue somewhere, feel free to leave a comment, as there is much to pay attention to.
2. Most of the main characters will be from GI canon, but I will be creating several specific enemies to fit into the protagonist's main plotline.
3. The GI 'protagonist' will be Lumine. There is a reason for this story-wise. The plot starts a bit before her arrival in Teyvat, though. Our protagonist will follow his own plot threads while she follows hers, but his existence will affect hers, if that makes sense. Basically, I'm trying to say that the original GI plot will be partially intact with some minor AU-esque changes. (This isn't really a spoiler, but figured people will want to know.)
4. The title prob won't make sense for a while, but whatevs. It is what it is.
That's all for now, I guess. Happy reading.
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Two people urgently ran toward the northern coast. Several Yashiro Commission guards dressed in purple samurai garb followed behind but could not keep up with the two Vision holders.
Before long, Thoma and Kamisato Ayaka arrived at the edge of the blast radius. Both of them surveyed the destroyed shoreline with solemn gazes.
"Hopefully there were no people here," Ayaka anxiously commented.
Kicking some nearby chunks of brown metal that were mostly buried, Thoma tried to assuage the woman's worries by replying, "Most people don't come up this far north due to the automatons."
"I know, but… Wait! Thoma! A body!" Ayaka exclaimed while dashing forward. She didn't even mind her shoes and socks being dirtied by the mud and sand.
Narrowing his eyes, Thoma dashed forward to follow the young lady.
Knee deep in seawater, Ayaka stopped next to the naked body. A blush briefly appeared on her cheeks, but she quickly shook it away. She lifted the body from the water with ease and pressed an ear against the unconscious man's bony chest.
"A heartbeat. He's alive, Thoma."
By then, Thoma reached the body as well. He nodded and said "That's good. I can carry him back for treatment if you'd like."
"Please do. He's not breathing, though, so… can you please do something about that immediately?"
Lifting the notably skinny body onto his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, Thoma sighed and replied, "I'll get right to it."
He then carried the unconscious man to dry ground before setting him down and administering CPR.
Shortly after Thoma started doing chest compressions, the Yashiro Commission guards finally arrived. Ayaka ordered them to look for any remains of the meteor. Then, she walked toward Thoma and the unconscious man just in time to see the man's eyelids shoot open.
Thoma whipped his head backward, barely avoiding a headbutt from the man who shot upward in shock. Then, the man rolled over onto his knees. He immediately coughed and spat out a mouthful or two of seawater.
As his consciousness gradually returned, the man stifled a coughing fit while furrowing his brows in confusion.
"I'm… alive?" He wondered aloud.
Suddenly, he noticed the touch of two hands rubbing his back, one big and one small. The big one was unusually warm while the small one was unusually cold. The supportive physical touch of another person who wasn't out to hurt him caught him off guard, causing him to raise his head. His eyes met a pair of green eyes and a pair of blue eyes. Other than that, the two people wore strangely foreign and fantastical clothing, and their hair colors were bright and attention-grabbing. A strange feeling like that of deja-vu rustled his heart when he saw their faces.
A moment later, the woman's eyes dropped slightly to what hung between the man's legs. Her cheeks reddened, and she bolted upright into an awkward standing position before turning around.
"Yo, you're awake. You feel alright?" The blondie asked with a slight grin, chuckling at his young miss' understandable embarrassment.
The stranger blinked in a confused manner. Then, he met the blondie's eyes again.
"I feel alright. Just a bit dizzy and weak, I guess… But, where am I?"
'There's no way, right? It doesn't feel like a dream, but these faces are way too familiar.'
"Inazuma. You do look like an outlander. Are you from Mondstadt or something? How'd you end up here?"
The man's head spun upon hearing the blondie's answer. He could barely believe his own eyes and ears. It didn't make any rational sense to meet these familiar people in real life. Admittedly, everything looked more real than the game he knew, but he still recognized the faces of Thoma and Kamisato Ayaka.
'I'm in the world of Genshin Impact? Really? How? Why? This doesn't make any sense,' The man thought while outwardly signaling his perturbed mind with furrowed brows. Part of him even wondered if he was hallucinating during his final moment before death.
"Thoma, enough questions. He needs medical attention," Ayaka chided, still keeping her back to the naked man.
"Right, right," Thoma replied with a subtle nod. Then, he called over one of the guards and asked the man to lend his outer garments to the stranger. The guard raised a brow, but he quickly agreed a moment later. While the guard handed over the outer robe, Thoma said, "Use these for now. It'll be enough until we can get some normal clothing for you."
The stranger squinted his eyes before looking down at his own naked body. Pressing his lips together, he raised his head again and humbly accepted the jacket. He struggled while trying to put it on due to muscle weakness similar to that of a man sick with influenza. Thoma nodded in understanding and helped him put the outer garment on, but Ayaka's voice suddenly distracted them halfway through.
"Ah? Lady Yae?! What are you doing here?"
The stranger froze upon hearing the familiar name. He slowly raised his gaze to meet a pair of purple eyes that flashed with curiosity. In fact, the flash wasn't just his imagination. Tiny purple sparks illuminated her amethyst-like irises. Her gaze locked onto the unknown man without moving, which gave him an uncomfortable feeling. The woman's pink hair fluttered gently in the wind along with her admittedly revealing shrine maiden uniform. Another shrine maiden quietly followed behind the woman in confused silence.
"...Fascinating."
"Lady Yae?" Ayaka asked again, narrowing her eyes slightly.
Without moving her gaze from the formerly unconscious man, Yae Miko replied, "Oh, hello. Do forgive me for not greeting you immediately. If it answers your curiosity, then with a falling star striking the land so near to my shrine, of course I'm going to check on it."
"I see," Ayaka said. "We will be taking this survivor away for treatment, but our guards are searching for debris at the moment… unless you wish to take over on that front, Lady Yae."
Yae Miko briefly looked at the shoreline, but quickly focused on the foreign-looking stranger again before saying, "I'm not interested. However, I will take this man with me for treatment."
Ayaka frowned. Although she knew this attendant of the Shogun, she did not know her well enough to know what was going through the woman's mind. As such, she suggested, "Our Commission is not as far of a walk. Taking him up to the shrine would take too much of a toll on him, don't you think? Considering his health, taking him to the Commission would be better."
"Hmm… I suppose you're right. If you insist on treating him there first, then I will go with you."
"If you wish to do so, then I will do my best to provide hospitality," Ayaka replied in a sincere manner.
Throughout the conversation, Thoma refrained from speaking. Instead, he helped the man wear the jacket while occasionally observing the famous Guuji Yae out of the corner of his eye.
"Let's head back, Thoma," Ayaka said.
"Okay."
Before leaving, Ayaka asked the guards to report back later with any findings regarding the sudden meteor strike. They already sported frustrated expressions due to not finding any unusual stones or metals for several minutes, but still nodded in acknowledgement.
From there, Thoma helped the unknown man to his feet. The stranger teetered awkwardly in a bout of weakness, forcing Thoma to give him a shoulder to lean on. Thus, the strange party of two Yashiro Commission members, two shrine maidens, and an unknown foreigner headed toward the Yashiro Commission at a slow pace.
Along the way, the man quietly observed the surreal environment of Narukami island. He could see the towering cliff that was one of the first landmarks he encountered in this part of the game he knew. He saw the towering tree at the Grand Narukami Shrine at the top of the nearby mountain. He saw the expansive ocean beyond the shore.
'I can't believe it… This all feels so real. If I was going to end up in this world, though, why Inazuma of all places. Curse my bad luck.'
Little did he know that a piercing gaze remained focused on his back. Following behind at a leisurely pace, Yae Miko mumbled to herself, "I've never seen so many curses contained within a singular human body before. How curious. What might his story be?"