Shen-Zi

"What's your plan?" the half-adeptus asked with a downcast expression.

"Don't worry, the genius Kenshin has an idea. We are near the Wanchu Inn right?"

"It's Wangshu Inn, but yes" she nodded. Wangshu-wanchu who cares.

"I will stay there for the night and tomorrow I will go towards Mondstad. The pink woman know someone from the Gunhildr family when they came previously to Inazuma as emissaries, so I can learn from them" I lied. I only know that name because of how famous they were.

Honestly, Liyue has been a mix of things. It was cool meeting the archon, but the rest...meh. The landscape was cool and the Harbor colourful, but too crowded for my taste. I will come back for the Lantern Rite, but I want to see Mondstadt now.

"You can't!. I told Yae that I will keep an eye on you" the horned woman shook her head.

"Okay then. Should I return to the Harbor?". Honestly, after getting the chance to learn under an adeptus, now going back to work as a ghost radar seems a bit dull.

"Yes, you can find a job in the Wangsheng Funeral Parlour, I know the Director" she replied happily, while my face darkened.

So she knows the Director. Someone as overprotective as her let's me work in a place where she known the higher-ups. That can only mean that I'm going to be working as a paper-pusher. Not that it's bad, but I came here to escape in the first place, but also to learn. And I can't forget my friend's mother.

I appreciate the care Ganyu is showing, but her concern is only making me lose my precious time.

"Okay, I will return. What do you think about this?. I will spend the rest of the day in the Wangshu Inn, looking around a safe area. Tomorrow I will be back to work at the Funeral Parlour to organize papers all day".

"Yes!" she nodded happily. She didn't even deny my future job, there is no way I'm coming back.

"Okay, can you lend me some money for a meal?. I'm broke". I didn't like borrowing money from anybody, but my freedom was in danger.

I came to Liyue to enjoy the last moments of my life, I won't spend them behind a desk working. To be doing that I prefer going back to Inazuma.

"Okay, here you go" she gave me 30.000 Mora from her pocket.

Poor Ayato, your months of saving are just pocket money for this airhead. Let's not mention the fact that I don't even have any money.

"Okay then , I need to work so I will go back now"

"Yes, no problem. Have fun".

"Thank you" and with that she left. Poor woman, didn't even realize the sarcasm.

So that is the Wangshu Inn. It's a big tree with a restaurant on top, but cool I guess. I'm hungry after hours of walking, so having a meals seems a good plan.

When I arrived at the top,enjoying the scenery and black spots everywhere, I saw something weird.

It was like a black miasma coming from the roof. It was a bit different from the hilichurl curse, but more painful and less 'severe'. From what I deduced, the hilichurl curse had turned a normal human into, well, a hilichurl.

This one seemed to be just causing pain, maybe when I actually see the soul of the cursed person I can learn more.

Was it a good idea to try taking a look at this cursed and potentially mentally deranged person? No.

But it was my idea nonetheless, so I did it.

"Hey, person in the roof!. I can see that you are very cursed, can you come down for me to take a look?". Honesty is important.

I actually saw the soul moving, but I couldn't see his body. Is he hiding it somehow?.

"Why are you hiding?. It's useless, I can still see you".

The soul stopped and moved slowly left and right. I followed it with my eyes until I got bored.

"Hey, I'm still seeing you. If you are going to show yourself do it, if not leave bit don't play with me".

And he showed himself. he was a short boy with dark green hair and a weird diamond shaped mark on his forehead.

"Who are you?. Nobody should be able to see me" is what he said.

"Well, I obviously can. I'm from Inazuma and I came here to learn. As for your unasked question, I can see souls. That's how I know You are cursed. Looking at you now, I can see that your soul is being eroded by that curse. That's a nasty one". I admit that this curse was amazing. Only second to the hilichurl curse.

"Your curse is only second to the hilichurl curse". Crap, I said that aloud.

"You shouldn't know that" he narrowed his eyes and grabbed a spear that appeared from the air.

"Calm down boy, I already got a pass from the Boss" . I'm getting tired of everyone telling me about how secret the hilichurl curse is supposed to be, but they don't tell me anything more.

"Who is the Boss?" he asked slowly rising his spear.

"The boss of these lands. Also known as Rex Lapis"

"You met Morax?" he was surprised.

"I said so. I saw through his poor camouflage, he told me he goes by the name of Zhongli now" I shrugged.

"Looks like you are telling the truth" he said while lowering his spear.

"Of course, I don't lie". That was a lie. While I don't like to lie, if the situation requires it, I would do it without batting an eye.

Just then, I saw from the corner of my eye one of the black sports I saw all over Liyue expand, and some miasma poured from it.

"I need to go" said the shot boy. Because he for sure didn't look any different from one.

There is not a coincidence right?.

"You mean over there?" I pointed at the black thing on the ground a hundred meters away.

He looked to where I was pointing, and his face expressed surprise again.

"Can you see the Remnants?"

"If you mean those black thing all over Liyue, yes".

"What do you mean, all over Liyue?". He looked pretty scared, I wonder why.

"Just that. I'm new here, so I thought those black things are part of Liyue's scenery. Are they not?".

They were everywhere, if they are something back this country is doomed.

"No, they are not" the boy looked alarmed.

"Why don't we go over there to solve the problem, and we talk about that later?". My nose is telling me there is some potential here. I don't know for what thought.

"Will you be okay?". I like this boy even more now. He is the only one who wasn't worried about me for being a kid.

"Yes, of course". And I lied, but I want to see that up close.

So he grabbed me by the nape and suddenly we where in front of the black thing.

"Oh, this is amazing" it really was. There was a black wriggling thing in the ground, and monsters were spawning from it.

"Stay close, I will deal with them" and then the boy wore a cool mask with horns and jumped around, eliminating every single monster around. It was amazing, I didn't even see it. Then what would Rex Lapis be able to do?. Heh, I already know the answer, I'm not that stupid. He would have bombarded the area with a meteorite and puff, problem solved.

I really want to see a meteorite.

"Problem solved" the boy said, walking back to the inn.

I looked around and saw no monsters nearby. But....

"Hey boy, I are you sure about that?". The black wriggling thing was still there, but looked like it was...sleeping?.

"What do you want to say?" he asked, maybe angry at being called a boy.

"Well, the black thing spewing all those monsters is still there" and I kindly pointed to the black thing.

"....." the boy looked like he was contemplating his life choices. Please tell me it's not like that.

"Are you telling me that you spent I don't know how many years doing that, only to forget solving the main problem?. Because from what I saw, the black thing that originated those monsters is just recovering, and soon it will start acting up again". Please tell me that's not the case.

But his dead eyes told me indeed, that was the case. I really wanted to laugh, really, but his blank stare was starting to worry me.

"Don't feel bad, at least you were killing monsters. Let me propose this, you protect me from the monsters and I look if there is a way to burn this thing okay?". He nodded, but he was still walking like a zombie. Well, nothing I can do.

I approach the black thing and looked it up close. Hmmm, no, I can't see a thing, it's just a black sludge.

"....S.....i.....". Wait a bit, I'm hearing something. I approach even closer, under the watchful look of the boy.

"Sh...z...". I approach even closer, so much that my ear is almost touching it.

"Sh...n..zi...".

"What is a Sehn Zi?" I muttered, but the boy heard me.

"Are you saying that this thing is Shen Zi!?" the boy made me jump.

"Damn, boy, stop shouting, My heart is going to stop and you will need to leave this black thing alone. No, I don't even know if Shen Zi is a dessert. That's what I get from this black thing".

"Shen Zi is a god that fell around here during the Archon War" he looked a bit angry about being called a boy again, but I guess this is too important to be distracted.

"Are you telling me that all the black things I saw on the way are gods!?". That awesome. Maybe I can collect a few in some jars. And have a collection.

"Yes, their Remnants. Gods are too powerful, and even their corpses have the ability to spawn those things" he nodded, looking dead again.

"Oh, so until now you were cleaning the monsters and leaving the Remnants alone, which in turn led to more monsters with enough time. How long have you been doing this for?" I can't contain my morbid curiosity.

"Almost 2000 years".

"....." I don't know how to answer that. It is too sad, yet too funny. I can't even understand the scope of 2000 years. For me watching a boring ritual that lasts 30 minutes is too long, imagine 2000 years.

Oh, I know now.

"Is that why you are so cursed?. Every time you fight this things you are in tough with this black sludge". It makes sense why he is so cursed. Then what about the hilichurls?. Their curse is even more vicious.

"Yes" he simply nodded.

"Oh, I'm sorry for you I guess. Still, how do we clean this thing?". The black thing just stood there bubbling. Are these a god's farts?.

"I don't know. I didn't even knew they existed" he looked frustrated.

"Well, maybe you thought that eliminating the monsters would tire the Remnants, and they would eventually disappear right?"

"Yes" he nodded at my words.

"Well, you screwed up because this thing is just 'sleeping'".

"Can you do something?" he opted to avoid the question. Admitting one's faults is hard, mom told me that.

"I have no clue of what I can do. But I know what I want to do". And that is touching this thing. I'm confident the pink woman will be able to cleanse me if I get cursed by this thing. Of course, that's only if I touch it one time. Our boy here is screwed for life.

"Wait, don't!!" too late little boy, my hand is already into the thing.

...I feel nothing. Oh, what a sneaky bastard, I'm not touching it. This thing just moved enough to avoid my touch.

Hehe, living with the pink woman made me able to sniff the weaknesses of my opponent, and something tell me that it's avoiding me because it's bad for this thing to touch me.

Bang!, I felt a sharp pain in my neck.

"Snap out of it!. Are you still here, or I'm talking with the Remnant!?" the boy hit me with the lower end of his spear. I'm not going to let this live down.

SLAP!, oh now I understand why was I called the 'Slapping Baby'. I feel as if some sleeping instinct has awakened within me.

"What are you doing, emo boy!?. I may have find a way to hurt this thing and what I get is a neck pain!?"

The boy looked surprised at the unexpected slap, still reeling from the shock of not being able to react, but when he heard I may have a method, he quickly recovered himself.

"You did that gesture as if trying to touch something, and you had a wicked smile, so I thought you where possessed".

"What a disrespectful adeptus, calling my gentle and kind smile wicked. Any way, I wasn't able to touch this thing, it avoided me. As the pink woman taught me, when you know what makes your opponent annoyed, you do exactly that" and I jumped at the sludge.

It wasn't able to avoid my whole body, and suddenly I felt my vision darken.

-----------------------

I gained conscience, but I found myself in a black space. There was nothing around, but I found a little light a few steps ahead of me. I 'approached' it, well, I just thought that I wanted to see that light closer and suddenly I 'moved'. Oh, I think I'm just a soul now. It's the only think that makes sense.

Any way, I approached the light, where I saw a very beautiful woman in the ground with a dead look and tied by black things.

She had long silver hair and red eyes. She was very beautiful, but I think she was a step short of being as beautiful as the pink and purple woman. I don't care about the purple woman, but I won't let the pink woman know that. She will tease me for my whole life.

"hey, you okay?" I lightly tapped her cheeks, but she didn't answer.

SLAP!.

"Huuhhh...." she moaned in pain. I knew my slaps were special, but to be able to revive a dead-looking person?. I'm awesome.

"Hello lady, you have been sleeping for a while" I said while crouching down so she could look at me.

"Please..set me free..." was all I could hear.

"Hmm, this is a bit heavy for me..." it was the first time in my life that I had to face such desperation, and it was going to make me cry.

"Please...set me free.." she repeated with he dead look.

"Maybe..maybe I can help you. If you are still here, we may be able to help you" I said feeling a bit nervous. If she has still here, it meant that a tiny portion of her soul is still safe. If I can remove these black things, she may be able to recover with enough time.

"Please set me free...."

"Stop repeating that woman!. Don't you want to live?". My anxiety made me explode, but I fear this woman is not paying attention to what I'm saying.

"No...".

Well, this is not promising at all.

"My husband...and my daughter....are dead. There...is nothing for me to live...." She muttered quietly, while tears escaped her eyes.

I stopped at that. I only thought that I may be able to save her, but did I thought about what this woman wanted?.

I knew I am a kid, and as such there are a lot of things I don't know. I am annoyed at hearing a child cry, how can I know how it feels like losing one?.

I think kisses in the mouth, like the ones some couples share in the shrine are honestly disgusting and unhygienic, how does it feel to lose a husband?.

In the end, all I can do is follow her wishes: Maybe if I force her to recover, she will get over her family's death, but is it my right?.

"I understand. How can I help you" I feel tears dripping from my eyes. I can't understand how it feels to lose your family, but I can hear all the pain in her voice.

"Free me..." she asked, looking hopeful for the first time. When you look happy you can die, you realized that there is a limit to suffering.

"Hmm" I cleared my tears while sniffling. I can cry later, now I need to help this woman.

I tried to grab the black things tying her to the ground, and to my surprise, while hard it was possible. I had to spend every ounce of energy I had, but I finally broke the last black strings.

"Thank you..." she muttered while closing her eyes and turning translucent.

The exact moment she disappeared, the black space changed.

2 adults, both looking down gently at me.

A young kid with red hair and a single horn.

The red haired man, chasing me while laughing.

The red haired man, on his knee while looking up to me seriously.

A baby with red hair and red eyes.

A young child laughing while red haired man tickles her.

A fire in the distance.

The red haired man shouting at me.

A huge monster, walking towards me, and an impact that sent me through the air.

The young child, impaled on the ground by a spear.

Overwhelming sadness.

The red haired man, without an arm and bleeding on the ground.

Despair and pain.

The monster approaching.

A sword piercing my heart.

Relief, a promise.

Darkness.

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I opened my eyes, not being able to see through the tears.

"Hey, are you okay?" the boy asked me, but I was too busy cleaning my tears to answer.

After a while, I looked towards the ground. Indeed, there was no black sludge any more.

"Don't worry, just a bit emotional. There is no more black sludge here any more, so there won't be any monsters nearby".

"Really?. You can clean the Remnants?" .

"That's what I said. Why don't we have a talk while eating?. Ah, you pay. I'm broke"

The boy nodded and started walking, and I followed him.

"Can you listen to me for a while?".

"Hmmm" he hummed.

"There was a girl, who lived next to a red-haired boy....."