I was reborn as a Leviathan in Genshin Impact.

Deep within the oceans of Teyvat- beneath the sea that many ships sail over. Deep, deep beneath where even the faintest speckles of light are mere products of the imagination- lies a Leviathan.

As a being of immense power and the undisputed ruler of the deep sea in this area, this Patriarch is a testament to the vast might that not even the Archons who rule above could carelessly cross into its territory.

Its skin was pitch black, making it invisible in the pitch-black water, though even a mere twitch of its large frame was enough to send any nearby creatures scurrying away. Not that there were any.

It could be seen sleeping within a large underwater ravine.

At 150 meters long and 40 meters wide, its serpentine body writhed, with glowing white eyes appearing to shift beneath its inky black skin, despite this, one could easily tell where its head was thanks to the long, sharp, and jagged white teeth that revealed its long, white, glowing tongue.

Its mere presence caused all other animals to leave the area in fear.

'Finally...' It thought to itself. Its mind is ancient, thousands of years have passed since its birth as a weak, black worm.

'I got away from those lunatics.' It sighed.

The Patriarch and Matriarch of all Leviathans across Teyvat, the wise, large, mighty, and many other titles, had run away from its subordinates.

'Surface here I come!' It then abruptly swam out of the ravine, its purpose for escape was quite simple, it was weak.

It was once strong long, long ago when it came to this world from a planet called Earth, where it lived a normal life.

And by normal, of course, it died to a truck, ...though it could barely remember what a 'truck' was anymore. An animal? No... perhaps some cosmic event? Or was it... its fault? Beer, maybe? It was drinking something, it thought. Beer... that strange, thick liquid, like seawater but... no, not seawater. Was beer deadly? Why did it drink it?

Its past- confusing and foggy as always. Beer, yes, but... what else? Something came before, surely... Or after? Did it drink with friends? Or alone? The faces were gone. The words lost.

At this point, even if it wanted to ask, they were all surely dead. Despite its faulty memories, it knew one thing well: Humans don't live for thousands of years.

It got a system, one that allowed it to become a Leviathan, and the most powerful one to boot. It conquered the seas, subjugated even the most horrific monstrosities that set foot beneath the waves, and it triumphed.

Then, the system deactivated. And with it went all of its abilities, spells, and skills. Now it's just an oversized black eel.

Not to mention that its subordinates seem to be dissatisfied, they are most likely not aware of its weakening, no, they have been dissatisfied for a long time. Why was it? It was something that happened, but what? It must have happened a long time ago. Yes, or perhaps it was simply insignificant and they were being crybabies about it, as they often were.

It swam up and out of the ravine toward the surface, there, it should be safer. And some old friends may be happy to see it again, or were they acquaintances? Bah- details, details.

It swam rapidly, quickly feeling the first rays of light touching its skin.

It could feel the pressure rapidly dropping, its skin tightened against its flesh- or did its flesh press against its skin? Its previously mentioned skin stretched and writhed like a bandage trying to hold back a sea of blood, and inevitably, it failed at times as purple blood poured into the dimly lit water.

It pressed on, ignoring the sting of torn flesh. Such pain was trivial—far less excruciating than being devoured alive. That, it had experienced... more times than it cared to admit.

A normal deep sea creature cannot live in more shallow water because the pressure difference would cause it to explode, however, the Patriarch is different from normal creatures, so it was fine with the sudden pressure change. Though with such a rapid ascending, even its unbreakable muscle and vigorous heart had a hard time keeping up.

And then, it reached the surface.

Its black skin seemed to swallow all light that the sun grazed it with, and its eyes glowed with fervor.

Finally, bright water at last!

It looked around, no animal could be seen, all scared witless by the massive predator- scrambled away with complete and utter terror before the Patriarch had even reached the surface. It wasn't exactly hard to feel it coming with the amount of water it displaced after all.

Not that it cared, after all, it is five times longer than a blue whale and more than five times wider too. Such an effect is inevitable, though it is funny, seeing that these very fish once tried to eat it.

Or was it a human who tried to hunt it? Ah, all of these things blend in its brain.

The Patriarch suddenly recalled—faintly—something from three hundred years ago. It had slapped its tail against the water, amazed by... what was it? The strength? Yes, the strength. Or perhaps the sound. The details blurred, but the feeling lingered—something like wonder.

So, it swam up and stretched its tail above the water and it simply let gravity do its work without any effort on its part. To see what would happen.

The ensuing sound was as loud as a thunderclap or a jet engine, not that it remembered what the latter was. Maybe a bird? It was in the sky- That it remembered. It then remembered a distant annoyance at the noise it made while it flew, yes, it must have lived near their nest in the past.

The Patriarch panicked, but luckily, the nearest human settlement was kilometers away, so the ears of any humanoids should remain unharmed.

Nonetheless, the shockwave from the slap has killed... Too many nearby creatures to count, and with one fall, an entire ecosystem is effectively gone.

'God, I forgot how weak the surface creatures are... Have I gotten too used to the Leviathans? It has been a good 600 years since I last went to the surface...'

With these thoughts and reminiscence, it slowly swam toward the city of wind. Mondstadt.

Mondstadt, the city of freedom, the place where their Archon, their God, left them alone, giving them the most precious thing of all: Freedom.

Within the city, many, many people could be seen, it was a thriving city that attracted all sorts of folk, though recent circumstances made things difficult for anyone seeking to visit.

It was rather... Inconvenient to move in while a dragon frequently ravaged the city, no?

The city of Mondstadt worshipped the God of Freedom, the Anemo Archon, Barbatos.

Barbatos held his position as a God with the blessing of the Four Winds, each of which is a powerful creature that could be a hassle to fight, though they could most likely not defeat the Archon when he was at the peak of his power, not to mention that Barbatos, as the God of Freedom, didn't give anyone a reason to fight him since, at the end of the day, he let everyone do whatever they wanted.

And as such, the Four Winds and Barbatos got along swimmingly.

Speaking of swimming, the Patriarch could finally see Mondstadt in the distance.

The city still looks similar, and the size is still quite humble, though the city appears more prosperous than he remembers.

It must have roughly a thousand people inside, nothing large, but more than enough to be considered a town, besides, the city doesn't care about conquest or wealth, so why should its size matter?

Despite the many, many years that have passed, the Patriarch still remembers the geography of this place.

To the west, you'll find rolling green hills and the Whispering Woods, a forest filled with trees and peaceful scenery. 

To the north, there is the Stormbearer Mountains, a more rugged, mountainous region with cliffs and occasional stormy weather. 

The east features the Starfell Valley, an open area with lush plains, lakes, and the Temple of the Falcon. 

To the south, there is the expansive Windwail Highland and Dadaupa Gorge, with more rocky terrain and ruins. 

Windmills and vineyards, like the Dawn Winery, are also scattered around the outskirts, all giving the region its serene, wind-kissed atmosphere.

Within the city itself, some guards could be seen looking out, staring at the immense, black serpent-like creature approaching them.

"R-RING THE BELLS!" One of them shouted, and the others did as commanded.

Soon, the Knights of Favonius, a knight order dedicated to protecting Mondstadt from danger, was alerted.

The acting Grand Master Jean, standing in for her superior and true Grand Master Varka, could be seen standing on the wall protecting the city, her long blonde hair and blue eyes along with her mostly white, but also golden, blue, and black uniform helped her stand out of the crowd. She looks around twenty years old. She has white skin.

Diluc. A stoic-looking man in his twenties, though judging by his disposition, he appears to be a bit older than Jean. He has bright red hair and red eyes. He is not wearing a uniform as he is not *officially* a knight. His clothing is mainly black with yellow symbolisms all around, giving it a luxurious appearance. He has white skin.

Kaeya is a more relaxed-looking individual, though even he is serious in this situation. He is around twenty years old as well, notably, he is the younger brother of Diluc, though their skin color reveals they are not biologically connected. He is wearing all black with a belt and some yellow and brown mixed in, over this, he has a very short blue coat that is made out of fur, this coat reaches down to his hips at maximum length, but the fur extends down to his feet. He has black skin, his eyes are light blue, and his hair is a shade of glistening sapphire blue.

Kaeya looked down, leaning on the wall. "What the hell is that thing?"

Diluc answered after some hesitation. "...Whatever it is, it's massive, and we have to figure out how to deal with it."

Kaeya stared and asked incredulously. "What do you mean 'deal with it'? Do you see that thing!? Even Dvalin, the dragon *terrorizing* us, is an ant compared to it!"

Diluc sighed, but his brother had a point, and he had to admit, nothing could help them here. Only if Barbatos himself intervened would they stand a chance.

Jean suddenly spoke up, she stood firm with her hands clasped behind her back. "Any news from Barbara?"

Kaeya answered. "Barbara's prayers aren't getting us anywhere—again." He shook his head, "We need to do something other than hope some mystical force will save us! Sure, the traveler might have helped us out with Dvalin that one time, but THAT-" Kaye pointed to the Patriarch who remained in the water even after 10 minutes had passed, "-is on a whole different level! Besides-"

"Enough." Diluc interrupted, "We should plan, not listen to your angry fit about the archon." 

Kaeya mumbled as Jean spoke up. "Do you think we should evacuate the people?"

Diluc shook his head. "No, the Hilichurls and Dvalin are still a threat, besides, transporting so many people without our best troops here is bound to go poorly."

Jean sighed. "What a mess..."

As they continued to plan and prepare, Venti, a traveling bard by day and Anemo Archon Barbatos by night, could be seen running as fast as his legs would allow through the woods.

His small brown shoes and white stockings with yellow symbols were covered in twigs as he ran. He has fair skin, aqua green eyes, and short blackish blue hair with short twin braids at the sides of his face that fade into aqua blue. He has a white shirt over which he has a brown corset. Bellow his neck he has a dark blue and yellow bowtie, and on top of his head, he has a green hat with a yellow flower.

He ran supernaturally quickly, normally, as the Anemo Archon, he could run even faster, however...

A certain traveler was currently holding on for dear life, so Venti had to take consideration.

The traveler in question has bright yellow hair of a golden shade along with eyes of the same color. His dress is simple, he wears brown pants with a few yellow bits, knee-high brown shoes, and a brown crop top with, once again, a few yellow bits. From his back floats a pure white and yellow cape.

Venti ran, a huge grin on his face.

"Hold on Traveler! Trust me, this is important!"

The Traveler would respond, but he dared not open his mouth while going at two hundred kilometers per hour through a forest.

Soon enough, Venti arrived, and the sight shocked him.

The Patriarch swam in circles, often forced to lift his body above the water to do so. The reason is simple.

It has no clue what to do.

Normally, it would simply use Telepathy to communicate and then transform into its human form with the quick use of some magic, but that wasn't an option anymore as the abilities were unusable.

'I should have realized this before scarring the entire town to death. To think that even after millennia of life, I would still do something so foolish...' It would sigh if it could.

Even from outside, it can hear the people of the city shouting in fear and horror, and since it has very sensitive senses, it can even hear the prayers of some priests along with the cries of cradled children.

'...I truly underestimated my appearance it seems.'

I could faintly remember there was one time when it didn't do something important for social events... What was it... Ah yes, it didn't apply to the deodorant, some kind of smelly liquid that made bubbles in water if it remembers well? Either way, it didn't use that for a long time... perhaps a millennium? No, a month. It forgets that a month used to be a long time back then...

Suddenly, it was pulled out of its thoughts as it sensed something- or rather someone- rapidly approaching.

The presence was familiar, nay, unmistakable. How could one not recognize divinity?

The Patriarch immediately and abruptly changed its position and beached its head on the beach, watching with its eyes as Venti approached it.

"Alexus!" Venti ran up and hugged his old friend, though considering the size difference, it was more like "hugging" a wall.

The Traveler, and also Paimon who appeared out of nowhere, stared at the creature with different expressions.

The Traveler looked intimidated but by no means despaired, he would fight if it proved to be a threat or hostile in any way.

Paimon meanwhile looked at it with complete and utter horror, staring in terror as The Traveler held his blade in his scabbard.

"No no no! Don't do that! Paimon thinks that's a very, very, VERY bad idea!" With the Traveler's questioning look, Paimon continued. "That's a LEVIATHAN! An ancient, HUGE, strong monster that is as strong as the Archons if not stronger! They were banished into the deep a long time ago so Paimon doesn't understand how it's even here!

While Paimon explained to Aether, or "The Traveler", Venti spoke to The Patriarch.

"Alexus! How have you been? It's been millennia!"

Alexus... Yes... That name is familiar, but not his true name, though he couldn't quite remember that either. Perhaps it was Martin? No... Tereza? No... Was his gender male or female originally? Hm... The more he thought, the more it all slipped between his fingers.

How vexing.

It awkwardly shifted around, unable to answer Venti.

"Oh no, can you not talk my friend?"

It nodded.

"And I assume you can't transform either?

Another nod.

"Haaah..." Barbatos could only sigh, he was so excited to catch up and have a wine or thirty! "And here I thought I could enjoy myself with my favorite eel... Though it seems you've gone through puberty huh? Man if Dvalin would see this he would never cause trouble again!"

The Patriarch let out some strange, guttural noises, and Venti laughed.

"I can at least recognize when you laugh still!"

The Patriarch meanwhile glanced at The Traveler, it felt familiar with the humanoid.

It didn't understand why... There was something, was it some kind of interdimensional portal? It was something expensive for its past self... A machine? Yes, no doubt it was a machine that allowed it to access this world before its unfortunate death and transmigration. Yes! That must be it, it knew much about this world before it even appeared within it, and that's why it helped Barbatos and his friend back then.

The Patriarch was rather pleased with himself, after all, it's not every day he is reminded of the good old days.

God, he sounds like such a... What was the expression again? Zoober? Bummer? No...

Hmm...Still have no clue, well, seems that knowledge is lost to the void for now. Barbatos called for its attention again.

"Hello? old man, you listening?"

It grunted.

"Okay finally! I swear on Barbatos you remind me of Zongli sometimes with that tendency to space out..." He shook his head, "Anyway, I'm pretty sure you cannot go anywhere like that right? I mean, Mondstadt is in absolute pandemonium just from your presence."

The Patriarch bowed his head slightly, the sand it bowed its head into split like butter.

"No need to apologize, it's just fine! At least I will get some more business with my stories of the 'Mythical Beast of Darkness'!" Venti laughed a little to himself, "Anyway, we need to get you a humanoid form, or just make you smaller without making you weaker... I bet the reason you lost your power is Celestia and their silly censorship... Haaah..."

That was certainly an opinion- however, Venti was never aware of the system, hence why he blamed it on Celestia.

Venti then suddenly piped up and motioned for the traveler to come to them.

"I forgot to introduce you two! Traveler, this is Alexus! A good friend of mine back from when I was just a teeny tiny wind spirit! Alexus, this is the Traveler, he has been helping me run some minor and not-so-minor errands around!"

Aether looked at the... The creature before him wondered where to look with so many eyes.

He simply awkwardly waved, unsure about what to do.

"Oh right, he's shy so he doesn't talk much, don't worry, he's a good person!"

'...She still remembers my previous, paranoid tendencies.'

Indeed, even the Patriarch still remembers how paranoid he used to be because he still was until a couple hundred years ago, it is what allowed him to rise so high. Though as he reached the peak and his mind aged, such an energetic thing waned and rotted away. 

Still though, to think she would immediately assure it that The Traveler is a good person... Venti has an impressive memory.

The Patriarch nodded.

"Right! The others would also probably want to see you, do you remember the Falcon Coast?" The Patriarch nodded, how could it forget the place of its rebirth? Or was it reborn in the Musk Reef? ...It couldn't quite remember, but either way, it was born somewhere "near" Mondstadt, that it knew.

"Let's meet there at night, I'll also give the people of Mondstadt some visions to calm them down... Even though it's such a hassle...!" Venti put on a dramatic play, pretending to fall, "Oh Barbatos, such work! Whatever will I do!" Venti then tenderly traced a finger on the Patriarch's skin, "If only a huge, strong Leviathan could help this poor boy in need by carrying him to the Brightcrown Mountains...!"

Paimon suddenly voiced herself. "Wait wait wait! Are you seriously trying to get a LEVIATHAN to carry you because you are too lazy to walk?!"

Venti smiled and went "Ehe!" in response.

"What do you mean 'Ehe'?!"

The Patriarch would roll its eyes if it had pupils, but either way, it made some guttural noises and nodded at Venti, who then flew up, and with a quick blast of wind, The Traveler was also on top of the Patriarch.

'Why do I feel like a public servant? Transport? Hmm... Uber? Yes... Or no? Taxi maybe? ...Hmm... Both feel fitting...

Then, the eel- no, the Patriarch- began swimming along the coast. It wanted to avoid setting tail on land for as long as possible after all.

As it swam, it ignored Venti's excited chattering and focused its will inward.

It had to remember what it did over two thousand years ago.

There was Venti, though he was smaller... Spirit? Yes, he was a wind spirit. Then the bard... It forgets the name, but he was a human back then? It seems Venti has either merged with him or assumed a form that is an exact copy of his.

Yes, it also helped Venti overthrow a tyrannical regime in Mondstadt and aided the young spirit in getting the four winds to come together, though back then it was even weaker than a subordinate of the Four Winds, let alone one of the four winds themselves.

It missed those days.

Either way, that is all it could remember, there was some vague recollection about a being called Istaroth. Some other spirit? God perhaps? Either way, it will remember if it becomes relevant.

The Patriarch felt a strange sense of nostalgia.

It could hear the birds in the distance, feel the warm sun bath it in warmth, the water easily shifting to the side as if it wasn't even there- compared to the stuffy, pressurized, and dark deep sea- this place, yes, the surface, was far more pleasant.

It would have gone faster, and it nearly did so, but it had to keep the passengers in mind.

It nearly forgot about their presence on its head since they weigh effectively nothing to it, but luckily it remembered before it sped up.

Venti spoke up again, this time a bit more serious. "Do you remember Dvalin?"

The Patriarch nodded.

"Well, the Abyss Order has intentionally aggravated him and manipulated him into attacking Mondstadt. I've been trying to calm him down with the help of The Traveler, but help would always be appreciated, my friend."

The Patriarch whined. It came up to avoid the boring nature of work, not to mention it's been on the surface for not even an hour!

"I know I know!" Venti patted the Patriarch's head, "You just came up and already have work, but don't worry! If we want to help you turn into a human, we'll need all the powerful beings we can get right?"

Hmm... Well, it seems the boy is correct. Ugh.

In its dissatisfaction, the Patriarch turned 360 degrees as it swam, showing the three passengers underwater and then bringing them up again as it completed the rotation.

"Ugh, now I'm wet!" Paimon shouted with dissatisfaction.

The two ancient beings meanwhile both let out a contained giggle.

"Uhuh, we are all dripping wet aren't we?" Venti said as Paimon realized what the joke was.

"Oh come on! Is this how Gods should act!?" Paimon was fuming. But with its tiny form, it looked more cute than menacing.

Venti laughed while the Patriarch giggled a bit more profoundly. Sadly the Patriarch had to keep it under control, lest its body undulate and send them flying back into the water.

Aether meanwhile patted Paimon on the head to calm her down. In response to this, she puffed out her cheeks and went "Hmpf!"

The four continued their travels, it wasn't a long swim since the Brightcrown Mountains were just across the natural bay where Mondstadt was located.

As the Patriarch beached its head on the surface, its passengers hopped off.

"Ugh! Worst! Ride! Ever!" Paimon complained.

The Patriarch slowly and menacingly approached it with its immense maw, in response to this, Paimon hid behind Aether, who sighed.

The Traveler had understood what kind of humor these older beings have by now, and as he predicted, the Patriarch made the "giggle" sounds again and backed off.

"Thanks for the help Alexus, I appreciate it!" Venti then waved as the Patriarch moved back into the water, it in turn waved back with its tail, though it did so as gently as it could in fear of causing damage again.

Venti grinned at The Traveler.

"I have some cool friends don't I?" He then turned toward Stormterror's lair, "Let's go! We have no time to waste!"

And so the trio headed to Stormterror's lair. But the Patriarch had pressing business to attend to.

He swam out into the ocean until he encountered a small fish with glowing gems where its eyes should be. As expected, they sent a messenger.

The fish established a telepathic link with it as it spoke.

"Patriarch, the 7 Primarchs have been looking for you."

The Patriarch swam around the small fish. "I am aware, and I have no intention of hearing out their pleas."

"But Patriarch-"

It roared within the telepathic connection- "ENOUGH!" -Its voice was filled with rage unbecoming of such a venerable and ancient being, a remnant of its human nature: The thing that allowed it to dominate even the most apex of predators.

"You believe myself to be ignorant of their plot? I have conquered the deep and they suppose they can hide things from me? I am well acquainted with the insurgency that is brewing underneath my jaw, and ultimately you jesters think that I have a lacking will to bite?"

The Patriarch calmed its wrath. "Enough of this absurdity. I shall allow them to have their way, inform them that I have no more intention to return to the deep. However..." Its voice rumbled, "Should any vestige of their folly affect the surface domain in any way, I will reach beneath to remind you of why I stand as the Patriarch and why even Celestia dared not stop my climb to the surface."

The Patriarch did not await a response, it had made its will unmistakable.

It swam back toward Mondstadt as the small fish began its descent down.

Those fishes were messengers, since the Leviathans were banished into the deep ocean by Celestia, they had to rely on such mediums.

As creations of the Second Who Came, Leviathans and the Archons were sworn enemies by proxy since their masters, Celestia and The Second Who Came, were sworn enemies for one reason or another.

The Second Who Came lost of course, but the Leviathans were simply too large and powerful for Celestia to kill in its weakened state, and so it banished them with the help of The Seven Archons who now rule over the land.

Normally, a Leviathan would be killed by the Heavenly Principles for daring to leave the deep, but the Patriarch is different, he was not born a Leviathan, and his soul is not that of a Leviathan as well.

This grants him enough leverage with the rules that he can exist on the surface. Of course, if he did something extreme in his current Leviathan body, like kill an Archon, Celestia would not stand idly by.

The other Leviathans were never made aware of the Patriarch's origin, so even though they are much, much older than itself, they allowed it to rule over them since it is the only being powerful enough to "resist" Celestia.

They are unaware there was never any force to resist to begin with. But the Patriarch leveraged this either way.

It couldn't help but sigh as its mind drifted back to surface matters, especially regarding Venti.

'The child... it's in pain.'

Of course, it noticed. It had known Barbatos since its "birth" as a wind spirit. Ah, was it perhaps a child of Isaroth? ...Perhaps... The name does appear before Venti's, perhaps it met this Isaroth before it met Venti?

It's...So confusing at times.

Either way- Venti has not let go of the past, a God of freedom shackled by the past- Rather ironic but inevitable.

Every immortal being has something they cling to, something that keeps them moving, even if that movement is so slow that an entire generation passes before a finger twitches.

Venti has done well in that regard- He clings to connection and the experiences of life- yet that brings the most suffering and loneliness.

How can a being that is two thousand six hundred years old form a true connection with mortals? A mortal life is like the snap of a finger to it.

And so, Barbatos created the 'Venti' persona.

A whimsical, nonchalant, silly bard who likes to get drunk and do whatever he wants.

This way, he would meet many people and establish a bond with them quickly, but such a bond would be only surface level, mere drinking buddies rather than lifelong friends, and the Patriarch understood the decision.

If one had to choose between having three best friends or thirty acquaintances, one would always choose the three best friends, naturally.

However, an immortal must look further.

Would you rather watch your best friends die and whither away until they cannot even recognize themselves while you remain the same, or would you rather watch as that happens to people you barely knew?

Life always chooses the path of least resistance, and Barbatos did the same.

It initially chose the best friends option because it didn't comprehend the vastness of immortality, and it shows in its form.

Its one true friend is now its form, every day, whenever it sees its form, it is reminded of that tragic loss.

That is how devastating such a loss is to a person, and especially to an immortal who relies on connection to fuel its will to live.

'...What a miserable fate.'

And yet- the Patriarch was not surprised.

Perhaps its past self has predicted this long, long ago. Back then it knew many things it now no longer knows- it gets feelings of right and wrong as things happen excluding the occasional bursts of knowledge, but that is all that remains of its vast knowledge of this world.

...Well, as an older immortal, it would do its best to aid Venti- nay, to aid Barbatos as much as it can while reminiscing about the old days.

That is its will on the surface.