Genshin AU - Infected

*Note: This work was done using @peixti 's own AU with the infection. Make sure to check her instagram for the original content. I am merely making my own FanFic of it since I can't stand seeing the characters suffer. So yeah. Also, the MC here is a character of mine from my future Genshin FanFic (I know I have one, but I'll make a new one with a different character and all) so keep in mind that Ken, the MC, knows about the characters and has some details of the world. Do take some stuff with a grain of salt. Now, please enioy. Peace out and Deus vult*

"Putrid stench," he muttered, walking along the familiar shore. It was the spot where he had first found himself, his memories gone. It was just him, nameless, with Lumine. Now he was alone, walking around the eerie place. The birds were unusually quiet, the crows crackling in a rough, metallic sound here and there. 

How did he get there? That was something he had no clue of. His last few memories were somehow gone. It was nothing new. 

"Something is awfully wrong. Let me check some things first," he said, talking to himself like usual. His weapon was on his back, a large sword saved from the cold mountains of Dragonspine. It was a cold, heavy blade, but it was natural for him at this point. Reaching out, he tried to use his elemental powers, but nothing came out. In that moment, his eyes widened. It was an unexpected development. 

"I see, so no powers. Well, judging by how I started, I should make my way to Venti's statue, just like back then. It's where Lumine and I got our powers from." His steps were confident, a stark contrast to his past with the world, where everything was simply terrifying for him. He was in shock, all of it stemming from his lost memory. His name still fails him. 

"Guess I'll have to go by Ken once more. It's the only thing I recalled, after all." 

Tracing his old starting journey, he found himself in a morbid place, where silence reigned and nature seemed to hide away, playing dead. The wind was barely felt in the area, the soft rustling sound of the branches the only sign of life he could see around. He had learned enough to know that too much of something would never be good, no matter what it was. 

It was part of him already, after so much training, to just reach for the blade and hoist it on his shoulder instead of back. In case of anything, he'd apply some pressure and crush whatever leapt at him. The statue was a decent distance away, meaning that he had to wonder around for a bit. 

No signs of slimes, or any other monster for that issue. Instead of the cheerful atmosphere he first met, the one that his mind was too clouded to fully appreciate, he was met with a mortifying, pungent smell that pierced the air and his nose. 

"What even is that?" he asked himself, speaking softly, nearly whispering, all to not be caught off guard by something hiding. He didn't want to reveal he was approaching, thus his steps were light as well. 

Nothing happened even as he made his way to the statue, staring at it with half-lidded eyes. It looked... desolate, as if it were left to rot away. Covered in grime and signs of harsh weather, it looked abandoned. 

"What is wrong here?" he said, touching the statue. The familiar feeling ignited within him, the traces of wind part of him once more. 

"I should be able to handle myself really well with just this. My training with it was off the charts at some points." He smiled to himself, reminiscing about the older days. Still, it felt nothing like those times. He looked over to Mondstadt in the distance, the city feeling... secluded, as if set apart from the world. It was an odd sight. 

"Just what the hell is wrong in here?" he asked, gritting his teeth in annoyance and frustration. No matter what secrets the world kept hidden, he'd pry them away by force if it had to be done. 

His steps grew urgent, the stench stronger, penetrating his being. Nothing normal could be said about it, but in its own right, the smell felt like death itself chose to have a stroll through the world of the living, waiting in hiding around unsuspecting victims. The forest where he met Dvalin for the first time was empty. He waited for a while, but to no avail. Nothing came, no trace of Venti or the dragon. 

"Weird... so I can assume that it's not the same time. Maybe I was dragged there as a really bad prank of sorts? No, the world is weird by itself. I should be more cautious," he noted, keeping tabs on himself. Ken was unusually worried, his gut instinct yelling at him about something being wrong. It wasn't all the time that it was wrong, but he sure hoped this to be one such instance. 

Somewhat hesitant, his steps didn't falter, but they sure grew wary of the surroundings. Every crack in the forest was twice as loud, and the rare shuffling of leaves nearly pushed him to slicing away whatever was within. It didn't take long for one such rustling sound to come closer and closer. He looked intently, the sword resting on his shoulder, ready to strike like lightning the instant he applies pressure to the handle. 

What came out was a creature that shook his eyes in their sockets. It was... no, there was no way. It wasn't a hilichurl. It looked similar, had the same darker shade of ebony for skin, but it was twisted. It stood taller than him, looking down from behind the mask. Crooked, bloodied teeth managed to curl into a sinister smirk, a mere cacophony of horror sights. The bloodied eye peeked out from behind the mask, staring intently at him. There was a weird cloud around it, a dark substance tainting the air around. 

Ken spent no more time waiting. As it got closer, his arm pulled on the handle with all he had, the sword moving from his shoulder straight into the monster's body, ramming itself between the neck and shoulder. It went as down as the ribcage, but something held it back there. They were sturdier. 

"Fuck!" 

He yanked the blade back, using Anemo to push the creature back, pouring more power than usual. Whatever that mutated version of the hilichurl was, it tried to get at him, reaching out with thin fingers that looked like dried up roots. Its nails were red, and it was clearly no nail polish. 

Ken gave his sword a twirl, watching as the dark liquid it had for blood touched the ground, spreading out slowly rather than being swallowed up into the dirt. 

"This is serious..." he muttered, looking at the creature once more. He was done playing. The Anemo within him at the moment was way less than what he had grown to use, but he didn't falter. His sword was coated in a thin layer, cleaving the air as it moved, tearing the creature in half. Its body remained, staring at him, the eyes following. Just to make sure, he cut off the limbs, tearing it into a lot of tiny pieces. In the worst case, no one would have to come across an intact version of that freak. 

"I should rush to Mondstadt, because these things being out here is everything but a good sign." Sword on his shoulder, he ran ahead, coating himself in wind to push ahead faster. All of the tricks he had learned were of use, applied in the same manner as before. The world itself was the same, but something about where he was differed. 

"I need to find Jean," he thought, aiming to talk with someone in power and get a good outlook on the situation. His path was shortening with each breath drawn, his physical condition honed by training and battles. 

The path lacked its vibrant nature, especially after this encounter. The city, which was getting closer, was silent, like a cemetery in the dead of night. On the path, he found Amber, who looked out of it, scared, running from something. 

"Who are you? It's dangerous to be here! They're coming!" 

Mark looked to what she was running from. It was a group of three hilichurls like that, each one looking worse than the other. Bloated eyes, their masks sunk into the flesh, molding to become one. It was grotesque. 

"Stay here and take care. Cover me with arrows if needed," he ordered, dashing ahead. His Anemo was running a bit lower, but the battle instinct was enough. They all screeched loudly, the inhuman sounds making anything he's heard in Teyvat pale in comparison. 

"I'll give you a reason to scream," he grumbled, his jaw clenched. The hazy cloud that surrounded them was denser, so much so that he couldn't push it away with a strong gust of wind. He'd need more, but the energy needed for it was lacking. 

"Fine then, you bastards!" 

He cut off an arm, moving on to pierce it through the chest, kicking it off the blade as he prepared to twirl and strike another, ramming the blade in from the side to the throat, bursting some Anemo into it to cleave its torso off. Amber made sure to impale the last one with a few arrows to the head, only for Ken to finish it off with a clean cleave. He cut off their limbs, then made sure to mince them a bit more. Amber ran to his side, panicking. 

"Don't do that, it will only spread more!" 

He looked at her, the word 'it' catching his attention like a flicker of light in the dark. 

"What 'it' are you talking about?" 

She tried to calm herself down, looking over to the city of Mondstadt. 

"We're currently in a crisis, faced with an unknown disease that seems to infect the hilichurls. It also spreads to people if they bite you or you make direct contact with their blood. Cutting them like that will only spread it in the ground." 

Ken found himself shaking slightly. 

"How bad is it? How is Jean holding up?" 

Amber was a bit taken aback at the sudden mention of the Acting Grand Master. There he was, a stranger, knowing the people who were important. 

"I'm sorry, but who are you? I know you helped me, but we have to make sure that..." 

He nodded, interrupting her. His speech was calm, composed, yet his thoughts were all over the place. 

"I'm Ken, a traveler who's also a swordsman by chance. I use Anemo, so don't worry. I can handle myself just well and have not been bitten or anything. I need to discuss with the Acting Grand Master, since she's the one ordering people in here," he added, preparing himself mentally for whatever was to come. 

"I understand. Come with me, then. The gates are closed off, so we'll have to ask the knights to open them for us." 

Ken nodded, following her silently. His eyes were still roaming the land, taking in the details, scanning for incoming threats. No traces of more cursed creatures around, but he had to learn about the entire ordeal. 

"Where's the Traveler?" 

She looked at him and sighed. 

"He's out there, trying to figure out what's going on." 

He. It's a 'him' in this world? It didn't make much sense for him, but who was he to complain? It wasn't like the entire world felt like a bad dream. 

"I understand. Classical fashion. Anyway, we should figure this crisis out sooner. If it spreads to other lands, we might be in some deep trouble." 

She nodded, looking stressed. Gone was the always cheerful Amber. Even the smile on her face felt like a cheap imitation of another cheap imitation. It was a ruthless cycle. As the gates lowered, he took a look at the city that was slowly being shown. There was barely any trace of people outside. No one wished to walk out, and even those who did were close to running around. 

"What the? This place looks dead. I see..." he whispered, placing the sword on his back, fitting it in its scabbard. Meeting Jean was one of his priorities. 

"Let's go, Amber." 

She walked by his side, then looked at him, confused. 

"How do you know my name?" 

Ken shook his head, waving a dismissive hand. How was he supposed to say that he came from a world just like this one but without nightmare fuel hilichurls? 

"I just do, alright? Don't ask too much, and be glad you all get an extra pair of hands to help. We might have to try and shut off all exits from Mondstadt at some point, and I don't mean the city itself, I mean the entire land."