Chapter 1: Goddess?

I've been itching to write something on Genshin Impact for a while. The intricate lore, the world, and the waifus are just too good to not write a story about. I'll try to write in a way that even people unfamiliar with Genshin will understand the lore. Just know it's AU since Genshin is a game, not a novel. I have to add things that are incoherent from a realistic point of view.

About the story itself, well, it's going to be slow paced with lots of character interactions.

Mc's appearance in the first chapter. (Check comment section)

***

A cool, gentle breeze brushed Orion's cheeks, who stood by a balcony. His silver bangs, which were on the shinier side, fluttered in a soft rhythm. His tall, imposing build didn't match his sluggish expression. His droopy emerald eyes were focused on the waves brewing in the ocean. The waves could shake the greatest of the ships in the middle of the ocean. Yet, the force faded to nothing once it reached the shore.

'Powerless.'

He released a sigh. The ocean wasn't beautiful as poets described it. Neither did it bring calmness like those internet posts. Still, he came to this house on every vacation. It was his go-to spot for New Year's Eve since it was away from the hubbub of the city, away from his noisy friends who partied all night and puked on the way back home. The roaring music of celebration was the last thing he wanted to hear today, on the death anniversary of his aunt.

After her untimely death, Orion had to sacrifice the last year of his high school and inherit the family business—a bakery.

'It's been seven years since.'

He had sacrificed a third of his life grooming the family business. The initial challenge made his life more thrilling than doing homework and exams. The rush of excitement had faded ever since his organization toppled over dozen others and became a local tyrant. Sure he could make it even bigger and expand his business outside the city.

'Business isn't fun anymore.'

He cast another gaze at the ocean. His aunt used to bring him here every weekend. She would hum a song for him while watching the ocean.

"If there is magic on this planet, it's contained in water."

He remembered her words even now. Her lectures were plenty since she was a former teacher.

'Life is boring.'

Rather, everything became dull once he grew up. He had tried everything that seemed entertaining at first glance. From learning martial arts in renowned clubs to hours of indoor gaming on his computer.

'Maybe it's time I find a girl.'

He released a sigh and leaned against the railing. His past dating experience was a disaster. Perhaps it was depression or out of laziness, that he never took the time to know his girlfriend better.

"Meow."

A black cat rubbed its sides on his leg before it hopped on the railing.

"Hey, Makoto. Let's go fishing, girl?"

Makoto purred in happiness before her head snapped to the ocean. She hissed nonstop while nudging him with her head.

Orion only understood one thing—Makato was warning him about something.

The tempo of the waves suddenly went up. The bright sky became a thing of the past as new clouds gathered. The silver hues in the sky were like molten silver, swirling in steady and radiating ripples.

'Wasn't that way too fast?'

A gargantuan wave suddenly rose from the heart of the ocean and rushed at him. In what felt like a millisecond, the water swallowed him and Makato. His hair floated upward and the light got farther away.

Panic, fear, and more panic.

An odd cycle of emotions began when he shut his mouth and swung his hands. Makato wriggled through the water and clutched his shirt. He held his breath and curled his body, bracing himself for a crash. However, the said impact never came.

He opened his eyes to find himself deep in the water.

'That was weird.'

He had several questions about the sudden disaster. How did he survive the pressure of such an immense wave of tsunami? Why didn't he crash into anything? If he was still on the second floor, how the hell was he drowned in a shitload of water?

Above all, he couldn't feel any pain as though the tsunami carried zero kinetic energy. His luck had to be mind-blowing to survive such a disaster. It was as if someone led him around with a bag of candies, only to reveal it as an empty wrapper.

'Shut it, Einstein. Be happy that you survived.'

He rebuked his inner doubts and slowly swam up. No matter how much he swam, the surface never came. His lungs ran out of oxygen soon enough. He knew the countdown to heaven would begin the moment he opened his mouth. Yet, he couldn't stop. It was as though someone pointed a gun at him and ordered him to stop his heart from beating. Of course, the heart will beat. Just like the lungs which will inhale whether it was air or briny water.

As he suffocated in the water, the salt taste abruptly vanished from his mouth. His eyes snapped open, and he found himself in a well-lit room. He looked down to find Makato lying unconscious on his lap. Neither Makoto's black fur nor Orion's clothes were wet at this point.

"She is fine. Just in shock," a gentle voice called out to him. "Orion."

A woman sat across the table, with her face leaning on her hands. Her long silver hair seemed to be basked in an eternal glow. Her white sleeveless dress revealed glimpses of her bountiful bosom. Despite her otherworldly beauty, Orion's whole attention was into her amethyst eyes.

"It's been a while, Orion," she said, her lips curling into a smile. "How have you been?"

Reality sank into his mind, reminding him of the disaster that occurred a couple of seconds ago.

"…Is this heaven?"

It had to be. Otherwise, he wouldn't be talking to the woman he had buried seven years ago.

"You aren't dead, my dear nephew."

"How is this possible then? Unless—"

His mind shut down before his death and indulged him in fantasy. A fantasy of reuniting with his dead relative whose smile relaxed his mind and soul.

"Let me reintroduce myself. I'm Lydia, the goddess of teaching."

"Goddess of teaching?"

She nodded her head. "After my death on Earth, I was given an invitation to Celestia for my affinity with a Divine Spark. So here I am, a goddess in flesh and blood."

"A goddess?" He gasped in shock. "Wait, Celestia? Where have I heard it before…?"

"…In that game," Lydia replied with a rather wry smile. "Human imagination knows no bounds."

They must have realized the presence of the Divine presiding over the Universe in their dreams. After all, dreams and imagination could lead a person anywhere. Lydia was baffled by the fact to this day.

Orion stared at his aunt as he recalled 'that' game. That one game he used to play when he was a high school student. He had spent his entire year's pocket money in 'that' game. After not getting the character he wanted, he uninstalled the game in a fit of rage.

"The gacha hell… Genshin Impact."

"Bingo."

"Are you still my aunt?" he asked, his emerald eyes focused on her beautiful face. "Just… I can't believe it."

Both his death and his aunt's ascension to godhood were unbelievable.

'Guess things happen.'

He accepted it just like he had accepted his death a few moments ago. Besides, he was glad to see her again no matter the circumstances.

Lydia nodded. "Of course. I have awaited this moment for decades."

"Decades? Does that mean—"

Her eyes closed as a smile stretched across her lips. "We don't talk about a woman's age."

Orion shrugged in response, ignoring the intimidating aura radiating from his aunt's last words.