Kazari... was acting weird, Aether thought. She was less dignified and more... clingy? Whenever she had the time, she would walk close to Aether and even brush her hands upon his. Aether didn't really mind, but he still found it weird how she changed this much. It was as if there was something amiss whenever they get closer to finally cleansing the Sacred Sakura.
"You good, Kazari?"
She didn't answer him, only looking at the root that he just purified wistfully. Well, if he could see how she looked like at least. It took a tap on her shoulder for her to acknowledge him.
"H-huh? Oh, yeah I'm good."
That didn't reassure Aether in the slightest, but he just put it off as her finally having some weight off her shoulders. When they finally arrived at the middle of the body of water near the Sacred Sakura, that's where Aether once more displayed his power that earned him the title of a god.
With his right leg being infused with Geo, he stomped on the ground with a loud thump, lifting the rock that was already somewhat displaced. Then, with the power of Electro, he used the knowledge he's gained from eons of traveling. Magnetism. Or to be more precise, Electromagnetism.
"Considering that Electro has displayed the same properties as normal electricity in other worlds, then the principle of Electromagnetism should still be the same."
Luckily for him, it was. The ground started to levitate as he charged each and every displaced rock with Electro. Then, he manipulated that Electro in the air above, basically making a magnet to hold the rocks. Finally, he clenched his fist, creating something akin to a core using Electro so that the magnetic force stays there for a VERY long time.
"There we go!" Aether smiled at his companion, who he clearly heard sighing at his antics. Then with a yelp from Kazari, Aether picked her up and jumped all the way down to the very bottom.
"This... is worse than I thought..."
A tingle crept upon Aether's heart. This amount of corruption... hungers his power it seems. He raised his hand unconsciously and was just about to use Gluttony when Kazari called out to him.
"Shall we begin?" Kazari said, her tone somewhat gloomy.
Little did Aether know, that would be the beginning of the end.
-x-X-x-
The Raiden Shogun was a very stoic person to say the least. For the last 500 years, nothing was able to faze her that much.
That was until this very moment at least.
"What the...?"
A feeling of emptiness, as if something greatly dear to her disappeared. Standing up immediately, she went outside only to see that the sky turned dark. Not stormy dark, it was as if there wasn't even a sky to begin with. The ground shook slightly as if there was an earthquake...
And she began to tear up. For no reason at all, the Raiden Shogun began to cry. This wasn't her feelings, it was someone else's. And yet, she can feel these feelings still.
Squinting her eyes, not minding the overflowing tears, she tried finding where this feeling felt the strongest.
"The Sacred Sakura? What has Yae done this-"
"AHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!"
A despair filled scream, powerful enough to shake the entirety of Inazuma and reach within "her" domain. The Raiden Shogun stumbled back a bit, taken aback by the sudden surge of power and sorrow. However, that voice was familiar to "her".
"The Outsider God."
She was tempted to quickly dispatch of the outsider, but she couldn't. Or rather, her body won't move. She tried her best to do so, but she really couldn't move. Being a puppet, this could be akin to her joints being rusted.
Luckily for her, the energy waned. Rather, it completely disappeared. It was as if it wasn't even there in the first place. Truly, this god is such a mystery...
-x-X-x-
The ground shook in Liyue Harbor as the waves became bigger. The sky, which was just sunny earlier, now showed signs of a storm. The ex-Archon Zhongli stopped sipping his tea as he looked off the general direction of Inazuma.
"I give my condolences to you, dear friend."
The ex-Archon tried his best to remain calm among the abundance of sorrow that spread throughout the lands. This was an evening to remember, to both immortal and mortal alike.
The day in which this world first glanced into Darkness.
-x-X-x-
The Anemo Archon, who was usually happy-go-lucky, felt a certain type of dread. It wasn't a dread in which he was the one in danger. It was the type of dread in which everyone was in danger.
"O' Traveler from the stars, may the wind guide you to the right path."
Lyre in his hands, the Anemo Archon played a tune, for this day is the beginning of something that would shake fate itself.
Tis is the day that Teyvat has witnessed the first Starfall.
-x-X-x-
A child trapped within the heart of Sumeru stirred in her slumber. Although she would not awaken, her closed eyes teared up, as if she lost someone dear to her. The Dendro Archon could only wonder within the realm of dreams, just who does this feeling belong to? If one thing is for sure, it is that this day will stick with her and the work.
For this is the day that Nightmares started to haunt the divine.
-x-X-x-
A lone Archon in an empty stage hummed amusedly as she felt the sorrow from outside her "domain".
"Truly wonderous, for such a thing to enter the realm of the divine."
She stood up and twirled around that then turned into a dance. Ah, she can't wait to meet him. For he is the Daybreak that she once sought in her lonesome. And the Savior who will pull her human self out of monotony.
-x-X-x-
(A few moments earlier)
"Why didn't you tell..." The blonde choked on his words, unable to stop the tears coming out of his eyes.
"I'm sorry... I didn't want to get in the way of the ritual. We were already so close after all..." The miko walked towards him slowly as she held a mask that was similar to what she wore. When she was in front of the blonde, she placed the mask on his face, smiling gently as she stepped back. "It looks good on you."
Aether didn't respond. After having such a good life in Tevyat after waking up, he didn't think much of his interactions with Kazari. He saw it all as just a passing moment, even after their little hangout the other day. But now that he was about to lose her... It stung. It felt like he was about to lose someone in his life again.
And this time, it was entirely done with his own two hands.
"I had fun, these past few days... Thank you." That was the breaking point. Aether reached out, but was a tad bit too late. The shrine maiden's body crumbled to dust and was carried by the wind, leaving only her mask behind.
"Ah... that's right... Life is fragile like that." Aether thought as he held the mask gently, almost afraid that it would also crumble to dust if he held in harder. And then...
"AHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!"
The world witnessed its first of many. The most important being...
...The First Strike of Judgement.