____________________
Once upon a time, in the high distant sky, there was beautiful little star who live with her parents.
The little star love to travel across the vast night sky with her parents. Exploring the wonders of the moon and hearing the wishes of the people below.
However, one day, the little star got a little bit curious and had inadvertently fell down from her home. She became a shooting star and was hurled down below.
The Tales of the Little Lone Star
____________________
(Ten years ago)
In a small, forgotten fishing village named Upriver, nestled along the the upper course of Great Bishui River, a new life was brought forth into the world.
The village itself was dying. Years of poor management and relentless flooding had rendered it a miserable place to live, and most of its inhabitants had long since packed up their lives and moved downstream, establishing a newer, more prosperous settlement they aptly named Downriver.
But in Upriver, a couple, once members of a feared local pirate group, had chosen to remain and continue to eke out a simple life within the confines of the small fishing village.
They started out as sailors once from Liyue Harbor. Skilled in their craft and respected among their peers, they had a stable life back then that was until the lure of easy wealth had dragged them into the treacherous life of piracy and plunder in the high seas.
They had been good at it, too—they had become two of the best navigators to had ever sail across the seas surrounding Liyue. Their skills had allowed them to plunder countless merchant vessels and they quickly rose through the ranks of their crew.
After a few years, however, the endless cycle of violence and bloodshed had began to wear them down.
Their conscience had begun to gnaw at them. With each ship they plundered and with each life they took, the weight of their sins grew heavier and heavier by the day, until one night, they decided to quietly 'retire' from their profession.
They slipped by the cover of night, taking only with them a small baggage filled with mora and some provisions. The two then proceeded to leave their life of piracy behind them. They made a pact to escape their blood-soaked past and find a quiet corner of the world to start anew.
Their escape however did not sit well with their former captain and the rest of their crew.
The two were some of the most valuable members of the entire pirate crew and their sudden disappearance was a great loss for them.
No longer were the pirate crew's navigations as precise as before and soon after, they began to suffer repeated failures at sea.
Losing both men and resources from their subsequent botched raids and encounters with the Millileth, the Captain ordered his men to search for the two deserters, promising a hefty reward for their capture yet to no avail.
This further infuriated the captain and his remaining crew members even more causing them to make a slew of careless decisions that would culminate into a final disastrous raid. The crew fell into a trap set by the Millileth and by the end of the day most of the pirate crew, including the captain himself were captured. Only a handful of survivors including the First Mate managed to escape.
The First Mate was furious and bitter, and he blamed the two deserters for the misfortunes that befell the crew. He swore vengeance, vowing to hunt them down and make them pay for their betrayal.
The couple meanwhile, unaware of the fate that had befallen on their former comrades, found a small, isolated fishing village along the upper course of the Bishui River at the shores of the Minlin region. They had bought a small, dilapidated house at the edge of the village, far from the prying eyes of the villagers.
They had changed their names and had done their best to blend in, living a simple, quiet life as fisherfolks. They had left their swords and their old lives behind, and had taken up the humble fishing rod and net, hoping to wash away the grievous stains of their past with the sweat of their brow and the fresh spray of the river.
It was not an easy life though.
The catch were often meager and the occasional flooding would often destroy their small house, forcing them to rebuild it over and over again.
Yet, the two persisted, for they had found a measure of peace in their new simple existence far different from the ones they had previously experienced.
They were finally free from the life of violence and bloodshed.
They were finally free to live their lives on their own terms.
Five years since they arrived in Upriver, the couple was blessed with the birth of their firstborn child. A beautiful baby girl with a head full of dark, unruly hair and deep ruby-hued eyes that were as bright and fierce as the northern stars that had guided their way during their days at sea.
They named her Beidou, after the constellation that had been their constant companion while they were still out at sea. A symbol of hope and guidance in the vast, unforgiving ocean, and now a name that represents the very heart of their new lives.
Beidou was the center of their world.
They showered her with all the love and affection they could give, raising her with stories about the sea, of their adventures in faraway lands and of the wonders of the world.
They taught her the basics of how to read the stars and how to navigate by the currents. They taught her how to properly tie a knot and how to mend a fishing net.
They told her of their dreams of one day building a ship of their own and sailing across the seas once more, not as pirates, but as explorers and merchants who wanted to see the rest of the seven nations and to show their daughter the beauty of the world beyond the confines of the small fishing village they now called their home.
The stories of their past, however, had inadvertently spread throughout the rest of the village, fueled by the whispers of the more gossip-minded villagers who had noticed the couple's unusual skills and their secretive nature.
Rumors began to circulate, painting them as dangerous criminals, as cut-throats and murderers who had escaped justice and were now hiding in their midst.
The once-friendly smiles of the villagers turned into wary glances, the casual greetings turned into cold distant nods.
They were now outcasts, pariahs in their own home.
Only a few people, including an old, kind-hearted fisherman named Yuze, remained close to the couple, seeing past the rumors and recognizing the genuine goodness in their hearts.
Yuze was a wise, old man who had lived in the village for most of his life. He had seen the couple arrive in the village, and he had witnessed their transformation from hardened pirates to loving parents.
He had seen the love they had for their daughter, and he had seen the kindness they had shown to him and to the few others who had not turned their backs on them.
He had become a friend, a confidant, a father figure to the couple, and a grandfather to their daughter.
Despite the cold treatment they receive from the other villagers, and the subsequent diaspora of most of the village inhabitants to the newer, more prosperous settlement of Downriver, the couple insisted on staying on the now almost desolated Upriver, for they had come to see the small, dying fishing village as their home.
A sanctuary from their past and a place where they could raise their daughter in peace, away from the prying eyes of the world.
For the next five years since the birth of their beloved daughter, they had managed to rebuild their small house three times over, each one stronger and more resilient than the last.
They worked so hard in order to provide the basic needs of their daughter and had even endured days of hunger and starvation just so that their little Beidou could eat a decent meal.
Their love for their daughter was their anchor, their guiding light. She was their sole reason for living.
The small family of three continued to stay in their home even as they had become the last remaining residents left in their small rural village.
But fate, as it often does, had a cruel trick in store for them.
On a stormy night, ten years after the couple had quietly retired from their life of piracy, a lone, grim figure stood outside the couple's small, dilapidated house.
The wind howled, and the rain lashed down in torrents, turning the dirt road outside into a quagmire of mud and water.
The figure, a burly man with a scarred face and a menacing glare, was the First Mate of the couple's former pirate crew, the very same man who had sworn vengence on them for the misfortunes that had befallen their crew.
He had finally found them.
He had spent years searching for them, following a trail of whispers and rumors, of half-remembered sightings and faded memories. He had tracked them to this small, forgotten village, and now, he was here to claim his revenge.
He had with him an axe, a heavy, brutal weapon that seemed to gleam with a malevolent light in the dim glow of the lantern hanging outside the couple's house. He raised the axe, and with a roar of fury, he slammed it against the door, splintering the wood and sending it crashing open.
The couple, startled from their sleep, scrambled to their feet.
The husband, a man of immense strength and skill, grabbed a rusty cutlass that he had kept hidden under the floorboards, a relic of his past life that he had hoped to never use again.
The wife, with her face pale with fear, grabbed their now five-year-old daughter, and hid her inside a stack of crates near the corner of the room, covering her with a thick, woolen blanket.
"Stay here, my little star," she whispered, her voice trembling with fear and love.
"No matter what happens, don't make a sound. Mama and Papa will protect you."
A brutal fight ensued within the confines of the small, cramped house. The husband, despite his age and his rusted sword, fought with the ferocity of a cornered lion, his movements were a whirlwind of steel and muscle. He parried, he dodged, he struck, his every movement were a testament to the skills that had made him a legend among the pirates of Liyue.
The First Mate, however, was younger, stronger, and driven by a burning desire for vengeance, fought with a reckless abandon!
His swung his axe in a blur of deadly motions, a storm of steel and fury that threatened to overwhelm the husband's defenses.
The fight raged on, the clash of steel against steel echoing through the small house, a grim symphony of violence and death.
The husband fought with all his might, with all the love he had for his wife and daughter, and with all the hope he had for a better future. He managed to land a few blows, drawing blood from the First Mate, but he was also wounded, a deep gash on his arm and a nasty cut on his chest.
As the fight dragged on, the movements of both combatants became desperate. It turned into a battle of wills as much as a battle of skills, a struggle between two men, both of whom were fighting for something they believed in.
But in the end, the husband's strength and skill were no match for the First Mate's youth and rage.
With a final, desperate lunge, the husband managed to disarm the First Mate, sending the axe flying across the room. But before he could deliver the final blow, the First Mate, with a primal roar, lunged at him, tackling him to the ground and grabbing a dagger that was hidden in his boot.
The wife, who had been watching the fight from behind the crates, screamed in horror as the First Mate plunged the dagger into her husband's chest, again and again!
The sound of the blade tearing through flesh and bone was a sickening, gut-wrenching cacophony further highlighted by the torrent of blood gushing out from the man's chest and mouth.
The husband, with his life's blood pouring out of him, managed to muster one last, desperate act of defiance.
He grabbed the First Mate's arm, and with a final, dying surge of strength, he pulled him close, and with a roar of his own, he plunged the rusty cutlass deep into the First Mate's stomach!
The First Mate, his eyes wide with shock and disbelief, stared at the husband, then at the sword now embedded in his stomach. He opened his mouth to say something, but only a gurgling sound came out, and then, with a shuddering breath, he collapsed on top of the husband, his body twitching for a few moments before going still.
The wife, her heart a maelstrom of grief and rage, rushed to her husband's side, her tears streaming down her face, her hands trembling as she tried to stop the bleeding, butto no avail.
"My love... my love…" she sobbed, her voice a choked whisper.
The husband, with his life's blood ebbing away, reached out with a trembling hand and caressed her cheek, a weak, but loving smile on his face.
"Take... take care of our... our little star…" he whispered, his voice fading.
"Tell her... tell her... how much I love her…" And with that, his hand went limp, and his eyes closed. His body finally succumbing to death's everlasting embrace.
The wife, her heart now a shattered, bleeding mess, let out a soul-shattering scream of grief and anguish!
She held her husband's body close, her tears now mixing with his blood, a sad, tragic mixture of love and death. She stayed like that for what felt like an eternity, until she heard a faint rustle from behind her.
The First Mate, though mortally wounded, was still alive and was able to pull out a old pistol from within his tattered clothes. He aimed it towards the grieving wife with a snarl on his battered face.
"You... you and your husband... did this... to us!" the First Mate snarled, his face a mask of pain and fury.
He fired the weapon and bullets found their way into the wife's shoulder and then again into her abdomen.
The wife, ignoring the searing pain that was now coursing throughout her body, turned to face the First Mate, her eyes now blazing with a fury that was now more potent than her grief.
With a cry of pure, unadulterated rage, she lunged at him, her hands now claws, her teeth now bared!
The First Mate, caught off guard by her sudden, ferocious attack, stumbled backwards, and before he could react, the wife had already pounced on him, her hands now wrapped around his throat.
She squeezed with all her might, her very rage and grief giving her the strength she never knew she possessed. The First Mate, now gasping for air, tried to fight back, but he was too weak, too wounded to even muster a single punch.
He struggled for a few more moments as his face slowly turned blue from the lack of air. His hands were flailing erratically, his eyes wide with terror, and then, with a final, gurgling gasp, he went limp.
His body now a dead weight in the wife's hands.
With her rage now spent and her grief now a crushing, all-consuming weight, she let go of the First Mate's body, and then she in turn promptly collapsed unto the floor, her body now wracked with pain and exhaustion.
She laid there for a few moments, as blood slowly trickled out from the gunshot wounds she had received. Her mind now a blur of images and emotions, a maelstrom of memories of her husband, her daughter, and the life they had built together.
Then, she remembered. Her daughter, her precious daughter was still here.
Her little star, her little Beidou was still hiding inside the stack of crates. She could sense her daughter's small body trembling with fear.
With a newfound resolve, she forced herself to stand up, even as her whole body was basically screaming at her!
Her vision was now filled with black spots. She knew that her wounds were fatal yet she mustered on, her maternal instincts desperately urging her to go to her daughter.
She stumbled towards the crates, her arms now outstretched, her hands now trembling.
"My little star... my Beidou…" she called out, her voice now a weak, hoarse whisper. "It's... it's over now... Mama's here…"
She pulled the blanket away, and there, huddled in a small, tight ball, was her daughter, her face now streaked with tears, her eyes now wide with a mixture of fear and confusion.
The child had been a silent, terrified witness to the brutal, bloody carnage that had just unfolded before her.
The wife, with a sob of relief, gathered her daughter into her arms, holding her close as tears flowed freely down her eyes.
She's safe and that's all that mattered.Her and her husband's sacrifice were not in vain.
"Shhh... shhh... my little star... it's okay... it's okay…" she soothed, her voice now a soft, gentle murmur.
"Mama's here... Mama's got you... Everything's... going to be... alright…"
She held her daughter for a few moments more, her heart now aching with pure maternal love.
She looked at her daughter's face, at her eyes that were so much like her father's, and she knew that she had to do something.
She had to get her daughter to safety. She had to make sure that her daughter would live, that she would have a chance at a better life, a life free from the shadows of her parents' past!
With a final, desperate surge of strength, she stood up with her daughter now in her arms, and she stumbled out of the small, blood-soaked house, and into the stormy night.
The rain was still lashing down and the wind was still howling, but she paid them no mind. Her only thought, her only focus, was her daughter and her safety.
She walked for miles with her body racked by an unbearable amount of pain and exhaustion.
She was barely even conscious, with her mind now in a dreamlike lucid state. She stumbled and fell multiple times yet she always force herself to get up.
Her sheer determination was now an unbreakable, unyielding force of nature.
She walked throughout the night, through the relentless storm, and under the constant barrage of pain. Her daughter now being her sole reason for living.
Finally, as the first rays of the dawn began to pierce through the storm clouds, she saw it. A small, flickering light in the distance. The light of a village were most of their former neighbors had retreated to.
The new settlement of Downriver.
Hope now surged through her, a warm, comforting feeling that gave her a new lease on life. She quickened her pace, her steps now more steady and more determined.
She was getting closer, closer to salvation.
She could see the figures of the villagers now. Their voices now a faint murmur in the distance.
She was almost there.
And then, with a final, shuddering breath, her body finally gave out.
She collapsed on the ground with her daughter still in her arms.
Her wounds had already taken their toll upon her very being.
Her last thoughts being of her husband, of their daughter, and of the love that they had shared with one another.
The scene was witnessed by a few fishermen who had just woken up and were preparing for their daily work out in the river.
They were stunned by the sight that greeted them, a woman, with a small child in her arms, now lying motionless on the ground. Her clothes now soaked with blood and rain.
They quickly rushed to her side, their faces now etched with a mixture of shock and concern.
One of the fishermen, a young man, quickly ran towards the village chief's house, to inform him of the tragic discovery.
The village chief, who turned out to be the kind-hearted, elderly man named Yuze, quickly arrived at the scene, his face now a mask of grave concern and surprise.
He recognized that woman who laid lifeless on the ground and the child who was now crying unconsolably beside her, trying desperately in vain to rouse her mother .
The woman was one of the couple, the former pirates he had befriended while he was still living in Upriver. And the child was their daughter, Beidou.
Yuze, with a heavy heart, knelt down beside the woman's body, and with a trembling hand, he checked for a pulse. He found none.
She was dead.
He then turned his attention towards the child, who was now wailing uncontrollably, her small body now trembling with grief and fear that no child of her age should be experiencing.
He gathered her into his arms, holding her close, trying to soothe her, trying to comfort her.
"It's okay... it's okay, little one...Grampa Yuze is here" he whispered, his voice now choked with emotion.
"You're safe now... You're safe with me…"
Some of the fishermen, who had also gathered around the scene, watched with a mixture of pity and sorrow. They knew of the rumors that had been circulating about the couple, of their past as pirates, but seeing the small, grieving child, they couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy for her.
Yet, many still kept their distance, their suspicion of the family's past still lingering in their hearts regardless of the scene they had just witnessed.
Yuze, taking pity on the now orphaned child, decided to take her in and raise her as her own granddaughter.
He had no wife and no children of his own, and he had always been fond of the couple, and of their daughter.
He saw in her a spark of something special, a resilience and a budding strength that reminded him of her parents. He saw a child who had been through so much, who had lost so much, but who still had the will to live, the will to fight for a better life.
"Come now little one," he said, his voice now soft and gentle. "Let's go home."
He then carried the wailing child towards his house, his heart now heavy with grief for the demise of the couple he had considered as friends, and with a newfound sense of responsibility for the child he had now taken in.
He will take care of this child and he will raise her as his own, for the sake of her parents who are now looking down upon them from the heavens above.
He will make sure that this child will have a better life, a life filled with love and happiness.
He will protect her.
He will cherish her.
He will love her as if she were his own flesh and blood.
And with that promise in his heart, he took the child into his home, into his life, and into his heart.
____________________
The next two years of young Beidou's life were a marked by a fragile peace, a delicate dance between the comfort of her new home and the cruel whispers of the villagers.
Yuze's house was a small, humble abode by the river, but to Beidou, it was a castle. It was warm, safe, and it was filled with the unconditional love of her new grandfather.
He would mend her tattered clothes, cook her simple but hearty meals, and tell her stories about the great heroes of Liyue. Not the bloody tales of her parents' past, but the legends of Rex Lapis and the Adepti, stories of courage and justice.
"Does Rex Lapis and his adepti really help people who have no one else to turn to, Grampa?" Beidou asked one evening, her small hands clutching a wooden boat he had carved for her.
Yuze, his face etched with the wisdom of his years, smiled. "That is their purpose, little star. To watch over us, to guide us, and to protect those who cannot protect themselves."
Yuze then ruffle Beidou's head affectionately.
"You have a strong spirit, little star," he would often say, looking at her with eyes that held a universe of kindness.
"Never let anyone dim your light."
But the light was constantly under assault.
The villagers' suspicion, festering like a wound, had not vanished with the couple's demise. If anything, it had curdled into a bitter judgment. Beidou, the child of two pirates, was now a living reminder of a past they wished to forget.
They saw not a grieving orphan, but a "tainted spawn," a bad omen.
The children, echoing their parents' prejudices, would avoid her, their playtime ceasing when she approached.
Cruel names—"bastard," "monster," "sea-rat"—were hurled at her like stones, their impact landing just as painfully as the real ones some of the more brazen villagers would throw.
Yet, despite all of that, Beidou was still able to befriend one child around her age.
The child's name was Xiling, a fisherman's daughter, a girl with bright eyes and a heart unburdened by her parents' biases.
She would meet Beidou by the riverbank, sharing her dried fish and teaching her the shanties and songs that the fishermen would usually sing as they worked.
The wind it blows, the waves they rise,
The stars above, our only guide!
Heave ho, heave ho, across the foam!
One day we'll all be sailing home!
During one afternoon, Xiling brought Beidou a gift.
It was a clay pot that held a beautiful blue flower that Beidou haven't yet seen before.
Xiling told her that there's a surprise hidden within the flower that only appears during the night. They waited until sunset, and to her utter amazement, the flower bloomed revealing a glistening core of white petals at the center that faintly glowed in the dark!
Xiling told her that the flower was a 'Glaze Lily', a flower native to Liyue specially around the areas of Minlin and the Bishui Plains. Beidou was mesmerized by its beauty.
Xiling told Beidou that Glaze Lilies were flowers not only meant to be looked upon but rather they were symbols of undying friendship and remembrance.
Xiling told Beidou that if she ever find someone she really wanted to give thanks to, Bediou should give them this kind of flower specifically at night so that they could see its 'beauty and glory'.
That little memory became a beacon of happiness for Beidou, a proof that not everyone in the world hated her.
Beidou cherished those moments.
Xiling was her only friend, her only anchor to a world of childhood innocence. Their friendship was brief respite from the cloud of judgment that followed her.
That respite was not to last.
As the whispers grew louder, Xiling's parents, fearing association, forbade her from seeing Beidou. The last Beidou saw of her friend was a fleeting, sad glance from the deck of boat owned by Xiling's father as they sailed down the river.
She was alone again. Her only companion were the constantly flowing river and the stories of her kind and loving grandfather.
Beidou clung to Yuze's words and to the dream her parents had planted within her: the dream of the sea.
She would spend hours by the river, watching the boats come and go, her eyes filled with a longing that transcended her years. She wanted to sail, to go on a grand adventure exploring the vast oceans of Teyvat!
She dream that one day, she too will have a boat of her own, no, the biggest ship ever seen across the seven nations! And she and her crew will sail across the world, not as pirates but as adventurers!
That dream became her small flame of hope in the darkness that surrounded her, a promise of a future far away from the scornful eyes of Downriver.
Yuze, seeing the fierce determination in his adopted granddaughter's eyes, supported her dream, further teaching her things such as how to navigate turbulent waters, and how to further read the stars and even how to swim in the deep parts of the river.
"Just like your parents," he would say with a proud smile.
"You have the sea in your blood. But always remember, Beidou, to use your strength for greater good. Be the honest sailor your parents wished you to be."
Beidou listened and her heart swelled with love for the old man. She promised herself, and her Grampa, that she will become a good person and she will become the best sailor that her parents and her grandfather would be proud of!
However, the cruel hands of fate were once again at work.
Almost three years after she first had arrived in Downriver, Yuze's health began to decline.
The old man's strength, once a steady presence in Beidou's life, began to fade.
The once vibrant energy that had warmed their small home became a flickering candle flame. He was often bedridden with fever, his breath turning to shallow rasps, and his once bright eyes now clouded with the weariness of age and illness.
It was during this period of vulnerability that the villagers' true colors were finally laid full bare.
Some of them, emboldened by the old man's weakness and their own deep-seated prejudice, began to harass Beidou more openly.
They no longer just threw stones or rotten fruits, sometimes they would even throw rotten fish at her while calling her mored degrading names like 'Sea Scum' or 'Ocean Filth', trying to drive her away from the village.
Some of them would even actively try to prevent any medical services from being rendered to their sick old village chief, just out of spite!
Their hearts were as cold and hard as the stones they threw at the poor child.
Beidou, however, refused to be driven away. She would endure their taunts and their abuses with a stoic silence that belied her young age.
She would run home and cry for a bit but then she would quickly wipe her tears away before her sick Grampa could even see them. She did not want to add to her grandfather's worries.
She would always return to Yuze's bedside, with a forced smile on her face, telling him stories about her day, of the fishes she had caught, or the new boats she had seen passing by. She would always tell him that she was fine, that she was happy and that she was strong. Though her small shoulders now carried a burden that no child of her age should ever have to carry.
Yuze, though confined to his bed, was not blind.
He saw the fresh bruises on her arms, the tear tracks on her cheeks, and the forced brightness in her eyes. His heart would ache with a mixture of love and fury.
Love for his adopted grandchild who in the last 3 years had become the very center of his world, and fury at the villagers who were too blind to their bygone prejudice and superstitions to see the goodness in her!
He wanted to protect her, to shield her from their cruelty, but he was too helpless, a prisoner of his own failing body. He could only offer her words of comfort and a love that were as deep and as vast as the Bishui River.
One day, during one of their quiet moments together, Yuze called Beidou to his bedside. He was having one of his better days, with his eyes now holding a little bit of their old spark. He reached out a trembling hand and gently caressed her cheek, a sad, but loving smile on his face.
"Beidou," he said, his voice a weak whisper. "My dear grandchild...my little star... Promise me something…"
"What is it, Grampa?" Beidou asked, her own eyes now beginning to moisten with tears.
"Promise me... that you will never let them... extinguish your light," he said, his voice now a little bit stronger.
"That no matter how dark it gets... no matter how much they try to break you... you must never let them win. You must always keep that light of yours burning bright... That light of yours, it's a symbol of your strength, of your courage, of your love. It is the very same light that your parents had. It is the very same light that guided them through the darkest of storms. It is the very same light that will guide you through the storms of your own life."
He then paused for a moment, as he mustered the strength to continue.
"And promise me... that you will follow your dream... of sailing the seas. Don't let this village... this miserable place... be the end of your journey. Go out there... see the world... live a life that your parents... and I... would be proud of."
Beidou, with tears now streaming down her face, nodded her head, her heart now aching with a mixture of love, grief, and determination.
"I promise, Grampa," she said, her voice now a choked whisper.
"I promise."
Yuze smiled, a genuine, heartwarming smile that seemed to chase away the shadows of illness that had been plaguing him for the past few months. "Good... good…" he said, his voice now fading.
"Now... come here... and give your old Grampa... a hug…"
Beidou, with a sob, leaned in and wrapped her arms around her frail, old grandfather, holding him close, as if she were trying to absorb all of his love and warmth into her small body.
They stayed like that for a few moments more, with Beidou's now sobbing, her body trembling with grief and love. The weight of her grandfather's words, a sacred vow that she will carry with her for the rest of her days.
It was the last conversation they ever had.
Two days later, Yuze, the village chief of Downriver and the adopted grandfather of Beidou, passed away in his sleep, with a peaceful smile on his face.
Beidou, who was sleeping beside him, woke up to the sight of her grandfather's still, lifeless body. She shook him, called out his name, but there was no response. He was gone.
A fresh wave of grief now washed over her, as powerful as a tidal wave. She laid her head on his chest, and she cried.
She cried out for her grandfather, the old man who had raised her for the past three years!
She cried for her parents, for the life that she had lost, and for the future that now seemed so uncertain and so bleak!
Her cries, however, went unheard, for she was alone once again. Alone in a world that had shown her nothing but cruelty and indifference.
The next morning, when the villagers found out about Yuze's death, a strange mix of emotions now swept through the small fishing village of Downriver.
Only a small few were genuinely saddened by the loss of their village chief, a kind, respected man who had led them through for many years.
Others, however, were secretly relieved, for the old man's death meant that they could finally get rid of the 'tainted spawn' that he had so carelessly taken in.
And so, on the same day that Yuze was finally laid to rest, they turned their full anger and prejudice towards the now eight-year-old Beidou.
It started with a few whispers, a few pointed fingers and a few disdainful glances. Then, it escalated into a full-blown mob mentality!
The villagers with their hearts now fully consumed by their fear and their hatred, gathered around Yuze's house, their faces now twisted into ugly masks of righteous indignation.
"She's the reason he's dead!" one of them shouted, his voice now a venomous snarl.
"She's a curse! A demon child! She brought nothing but misfortune to this village!"
"She must be driven out!" another one added, her voice now a shrill cry. "Before she brings more doom upon us!"
The mob, now fueled by their collective hysteria, began to chant, their voices now a deafening roar of pure hatred.
"DRIVE HER OUT! DRIVE HER OUT! DRIVE HER OUT!!!"
Beidou, who was still inside the house, mourning the loss of her grampa, heard the chanting.
She peeked through the window, her heart now a frantic drumbeat of fear. She saw them, the faces of the people who had once been her neighbors, now contorted with a blind, unreasoning rage.
She no longer saw human faces but rather faces of an angry mob of demons chanting out for her blood!
The mob, now a mindless, unstoppable force, began to storm the house, their footsteps now a thunderous drumbeat of impending doom!
Beidou with her survival instincts now kicking in, ran out of the back door, and into the dense forest behind the house.
She ran as fast as her little legs could carry her!
Her breath now coming in ragged gasps!
Her heart now pounding in her chest as she ran as fast as she could in order to escape the mob that was hounding her!
She could hear them behind her, their angry shouts, their heavy footsteps, and their promises of violence. She could feel the stinging of the stones they were throwing at her, the sharp, searing pain of the branches that were whipping against her face.
She ran, and she ran, and she ran, with the entire village now hot on her heels.
She stumbled multiple time and she fell a dozen times more in her trail and yet she always force herself to get back up. Her desire to live override any ounce of pain and exhaustion that kept coming her way as she desperately fled the villagers.
Finally, after what felt like hours, she managed to lose them in the thick undergrowth of the forest.
She manage to crawl herself on top of a small hill overlooking the village, and promptly collapsed onto the ground beneath her.
Her body now wracked with exhaustion and pain. She laid there for a few moments, her chest now heaving, her lungs now burning, her mind now a blur of fear and confusion.
She looked back towards the village, her eyes now filled with a mixture of hurt and anger.
She could see them, her former neighbors, celebrating her expulsion. Their faces now lit up by the warm glow of a large bonfire!
They were celebrating her expulsion!
They were celebrating her misery!
They were feasting and the cheering, commemorating their 'triumph' over the demon child that had plagued their village for the past three years!
Beidou just stood there, with her small fists clenched, her body now trembling with a mixture of grief and rage that no child of her age should have ever experience!
She looked at the villagers, at their faces now twisted into a grotesque parody of joy, and she felt a cold, hard knot of anger and betrayal form in her chest.
DAMN THEM! DAMN ALL OF THEM!
May they all burn in the fiery pits of the underworld!
Her small child-like heart was now a cauldron of pure, undiluted fury. Her small frame now shaking with the intensity of her hatred.
She wanted to scream, to lash out, to make them feel the same pain that they had inflicted upon her. Yet, her rational mind held her back.
She was just a small child. What can she do?
With one final, hateful glance at the villagers, she turned her back on them, and on the village that had been her home for the past three years. She then disappeared into the unforgiving darkness of the forests surrounding Minlin.
She was now a solitary and broken figure. Her very essence now cloaked in a miasma of grief and fury.
For the first time in her life, Beidou was now completely alone.
___________________
That night, as the villagers feasted and celebrated, a chilling, an unnatural silence descended upon the village of Downriver.
The joyous cheers and laughter slowly died down, replaced by an unsettling stillness that made the hairs on the back of their necks stand on end.
The bonfire, once a beacon of warmth and merriment, now cast long, dancing shadows that twisted and writhed like tormented souls.
The stars, once a canopy of celestial beauty, now seemed to retreat, their light now dimmed as if an unseen hand was now covering them from view.
The very air itself had grown now heavy, thick with a palpable sense of dread that made it difficult to breathe.
The villagers, with their moods now shifting from celebratory to unease, looked around, their eyes now wide with a growing sense of fear.
"What's happening?" one of them asked, their voice now a trembling whisper.
"I... I don't know," another one replied, their own voice now laced with a mounting sense of terror. "It's... it's like... something's watching us!"
Just then, a cold, chilling wind swept through the village, extinguishing the bonfire, and plunging the entire settlement into an impenetrable darkness!
The wind carried with it a mournful wail, a lament of a thousand lost souls, and as it howled, it also carried with it a faint, almost imperceptible inhumane whisper that seemed to emanate from the very shadows themselves.
You... mortals…have... sinned...
The villagers, now consumed by a primal fear, huddled together, their bodies now trembling with a terror that was now beyond comprehension.
"Yet...your collective sins are NOTHING compared to the grief and anger that had festered within our fragmented essences for the LAST THOUSANDS OF YEARS!"
The whispers now turned into a cacophony of a thousand tormented voices now echoing throughout the village!
The voices were now a mix of anguish, rage, and despair, a symphony of pure, unadulterated misery that seemed to tear at the very fabric of their souls.
Then, from the darkness, a figure emerged.
It was a tall, gaunt being that was clearly inhumane. Most of its body was molded in a condensed dark purple energy that corrodes anything it touches. Its head was enclosed on a tall trident-like helmet with a single glowing purple eye in its center. It has two pairs of arms each with long malevolent looking claws. Four spikes carrying a torrent of elemental energies hover over its back.
The tone of the creature's voice however was the most unnerving. It was the voice of a bored scholar looking at a bunch of meaningless test subjects.
"Ah, and so we begin with our experiment. You lot would serve well being the FUEL for our dearly departed guests. I hope your souls would be enough to nourish them in their... incomplete state."
The being then raised its left arm, as torrents of purple and black energy now gathered around its claws.
"Fear not... your demise will... provide us with much needed data. After all, your meaningless existence is just what we need in order for our plans to push through."
And with a flick of its wrist, a twisted mass of howling darkness consumed the entire village.
There were no screams, no struggle, no signs of violence. There was only... silence.
***
The next morning, the villagers who were out of town, including Xiling's family and a few others who were on a trading expedition to a far away settlement, came back only to be greeted by a silent and eerie ghost town.
There were no signs of struggles nor any signs of damage properties.
There were no footsteps. Objects were placed normally all over the houses left undisturbed as if only the people had somehow vanished on the spot.
The fire from the previous night's feast was now reduced to a pile of still smoldering embers, with uneaten pieces of roasted fish and meat laid all across the tables.
Half-empty cups of wine and beer still sat on the benches. It was as if the entire village had been frozen in time, a snapshot of a celebration that had been abruptly cut short.
The scene was beyond bizarre, beyond comprehension. It was a riddle wrapped in a mystery, an enigma that defied all logic and reason!
Xiling, was among the first to witness the strange phenomenon. Her family, who had been away on a trading mission for the past few weeks, had returned to a village that was now devoid of life.
"Hello? Is anyone here?" she called out, her voice now a small, hesitant whisper that was swallowed by the suffocating silence.
She ran towards Beidou's house, her heart was now being consumed by a frantic surge of fear!
She hoped and prayed, that her friend was still okay, that she had somehow managed to escape whatever had happened.
She found the house empty, and in a state unlike those of the rest of the village. There were signs of forced entry and violence as well as an overwhelming sense of emptiness that seemed to echo with the ghosts of the past.
She then noticed a small, half-buried object near the broken doorway of the house.
Xiling knelt down and brushed away the dirt, revealing a small, clay pot. It was the same pot that she had given Beidou a year ago, the one that held the Glaze Lily.
The flower inside, however, had withered, its once vibrant petals now a dull, lifeless gray.
Xiling cried for hours that day, her tears now a river of grief for her lost friend, and for the village that had been her home.
Her parents, along with the other villagers who had returned, immediately sent a rider towards Liyue Harbor to report the mysterious disappearance of most of the population of Downriver.
The news of the Downriver Anomaly, as it would later be known, spread like wildfire all throughout Liyue.
The Qixing, the Millileth, and all other institutions in Liyue were immediately mobilized, a massive search party was dispatched to the village and it's surrounding areas, and a full-scale investigation was launched.
The Adepti themselves were also alerted, their keen senses and their ancient wisdom now put to the test in an attempt to solve the perplexing puzzle.
They combed through the village and the surrounding areas. Their eyes now searching for any clues, any traces of the missing villagers.
Yet, for two long, agonizing years, not a single trace of the missing villagers was ever found. Not a single body, not a single piece of evidence that could shed some light on the mystery.
It was as if they had been erased from existence, their lives now a forgotten footnote in the annals of history.
The people of Liyue were left with a chilling question: what fate had befallen to the villagers of Downriver?
Some whispered of a curse while others mentioned a sort of divine punishment for their cruelty towards an unnamed orphaned child.
However, a select few, including the Qixing and the Conqueror of Demons himself had pointed out one possible cause.
The Abyss.
Just a few weeks after the Downriver Anomaly, sudden spikes of Abyssal energy were detected all across the Bishui Plain and even as far south to the ruins of Guili Assembly.
Monster attacks had became more frequent yet the scale of such attacks were small and scattered and they were easily dealt with by the Millileth and a few traveling adventurers.
It was the chaotic pattern of these attacks that unsettled the Qixing and the adepti.
It was as if the enemy was testing something, gauging the strengths and weaknesses of Liyue's defenses.
And the Downriver Anomaly was their biggest, boldest statement of intent.
The Qixing responded by increasing the number of Millileth regiments all across the area, their patrols now a constant, visible presence.
They built watchtowers, and they fortified the villages and towns around the Bishui Plains and Minlin. It was their attempts to create a bulwark against the encroaching darkness.
For the next two years, the situation remained a tense, uneasy stalemate.
The Abyssal energies lingered, the monster attacks continued, but on a much smaller scale. The mystery of the Downriver Anomaly remained unsolved, a dark, foreboding shadow that hung over the entire nation like a shroud.
____________________
While the search for the missing villagers and the investigation into the Downriver Anomaly was ongoing, a small, scrawny figure can be seen drifting from one area of Minlin to another. A solitary ghost haunting the towns and villages scattered all across the area.
Beidou, a child still at the age of 8, had been slowly transformed by the crucible of her tormented experiences.
The once innocent and headstrong girl who found joy in the songs of the river and the stories of her grandfather was now being molded into a reclusive and hardened survivor.
The world, in her young, ruby colored eyes, had revealed its true nature: a cruel, unforgiving beast that preyed upon the weak and the vulnerable!
Over the next several grueling weeks out on the wild, she had learned to survive.
She had learned to scavenge for scraps of food found in the forest, to forage for edible roots and berries.
She had learned to sleep under the stars, to curl up into a small ball in the hollow of an old tree in order to find shelter from the cold, biting winds and the relentless rain. She had learned to move silently, to become one with the shadows.
To live as a ghost in the wilderness.
But survival was not enough. She needed more than just scraps and shelter.
She needed hope.
And she found that hope by trying to cling on her small dream, a dream filled with wonders for a bright future ahead, a light to guide her through the suffocating darkness. Even though that light itself was slowly being extinguished by the cruel reality of her everyday existence.
At night, when she was all curled up in her makeshift bed of leaves with her stomach now gnawing with hunger, she would close her eyes and she would dream.
She would dream of vast, endless oceans, of towering ships with billowing sails, of exotic lands and faraway shores.
She would dream of a life that was a stark contrast to her current, miserable existence.
A life where she was not a hunted.
A life where she is not an unwanted outcast.
A life filled with endless amounts of yummy food that she would not grow hungry anymore.
That dream was her sanctuary, her escape from the harsh reality of her life.
But dreams do not fill an empty stomach.
Hunger is a powerful motivator. It gnaws at you, it weakens you, it pushes you to the brink of desperation.
And so, Beidou, driven by the gnawing emptiness in her belly, did something she had never done before. She began to steal.
Her first victim was a wealthy merchant who was traveling along the road to Liyue Harbor. He was a large, pompous man with a belly as full as his money pouch, and he had carelessly left a small bag of Mora on his saddlebag while he was busy haggling with a local farmer.
Beidou, with a speed and a stealth that belied her young age, slowly and silently crept up behind the merchant, snatched the bag, and vanished into the bushes before the man even realized what had happened.
The feeling of the heavy coins in her hands was intoxicating.
It was a taste of power, a taste of control in a world where she had none.
She bought a steamed bun from a street vendor in the next town with her stolen coins. The bread was warm and fragrant in her hands. She devoured it in a matter of seconds, her body now trembling with a mixture of relief and guilt.
But the guilt was short-lived. The hunger was a far more powerful, more immediate, a more primal force.
Thus began her life as a thief. Over the course of the next few months, she became a master of misdirection and a ghost in the crowd.
She learned to read people, to anticipate their movements, to exploit their weaknesses. She learned to fight by observing passing mercenaries, mimicking their movements with a rusted, broken sword she had found near a riverbank.
She learned to be tough, to be ruthless, to do whatever it took to survive. Her small hands, which once held wooden boats and Glaze Lilies, now learned to snatch, to grab, and to fight.
The initial, overwhelming guilt that had once plagued her soul eventually hardened into a cold, pragmatic resolve.
She told herself that she was not stealing for greed, but for survival.
That she was taking from those who had more than enough, to give to herself, who had nothing at all.
It was a form of justice, a twisted, desperate form of justice, but a justice nonetheless.
However, she was still a child at heart, and a child's heart can be easily swayed by promises of a better future. And so, during one of her pickpocketing escapades, she was lured into a trap by a group of bandits who disguised themselves as merchants.
They cornered her in an alleyway, their faces now twisted into lecherous grins, their hands now reaching out to grab her.
"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" one of them said, his voice a sleazy drawl.
"A little street rat. All alone with no one to call to for help."
"She'll fetch a pretty price in the slave market. I've heard there were some deprived nobles in Fontaine that would pay a very hefty sum of mora for children who can best serve them in some sort of 'Entertainment'. The younger the better they say," another one added, his eyes now roaming over her small body with a predatory gleam.
Beidou's eyes widen. She never experienced this kind of intense fear before.
This is way more different compared to the mob that chased her out from her home. These men looked at her not with hatred but with a sort of hungry gaze. And she didn't like any single ounce of it!
She fought back, with a ferocity that surprised even them. She swung her broken sword, her small fists now a blur of motion, her teeth now bared. She managed to land a few good hits, but she was no match for their numbers, or their strength.
They overpowered her, disarming her, and pinning her to the ground. The leader, a large, burly man with a scar across his left eye, leaned in, his foul breath now hot on her face.
"Feisty one, aren't we?" he sneered, his hand now reaching for her tattered shirt.
"Don't worry, little rat. We'll break you. We'll break you until you're nothing but a obedient, little pet."
Tears of pure terror and despair now streamed down Beidou's face. She closed her eyes, bracing herself for the worst, for a fate that was far more horrible than death itself.
But then, a flicker of defiance, a spark of her old, indomitable spirit, ignited within her. She remembered her grandfather's words, his promise to never let them extinguish her light.
With a surge of adrenaline, she bit down on the leader's hand, her teeth now sinking deep into his flesh!
The man let out a yelp of pain and surprise, and in that moment of distraction, Beidou managed to break herself free. She then scrambled to her feet, and she ran, with the bandits now hot on her heels!
She ran with everything she had, her lungs now burning, her heart now pounding in her chest. She ran through the crowded streets, the angry shouts of the bandits now a constant, menacing presence behind her.
She was cornered again, this time in a dead-end alley. The bandits closed in on her, their faces now contorted with a mixture of rage and lust. There was no escape.
She was about to scream, to lash out with a final, desperate act of defiance, when a commotion erupted at the entrance of the alley. A group of Millileth soldiers, their armor now gleaming in the sunlight, had appeared.
"STOP RIGHT THERE! IN THE NAME OF THE QIXING!" one of them shouted, his hand now on the hilt of his sword.
The bandits, seeing the soldiers, hesitated for a moment, their faces now a mixture of surprise and fear. They were outmatched, and they knew it.
They quickly decided to cut their losses. They gave Beidou one last, hateful glare, and then they disappeared into the crowd, melting away like shadows.
Beidou, her body now trembling with a mixture of relief and exhaustion, collapsed onto the ground, her breath now coming in ragged gasps.
One of the Millileth soldiers, a young man with a kind face, knelt down beside her, his eyes now filled with a mixture of concern and pity.
"Are you alright, little one?" he asked, his voice now a gentle, reassuring murmur.
But instead of a polite reply, Beidou just spat towards the ground beside her with a defiant glare.
The recent experience had already broken what little trust she had left in her heart. She may have escaped the bandits but these soldiers maybe no different from them!
They were all the same!
They will just throw her in some jail or something. She did not trust them.
She doesn't trust anyone anymore!
The soldier, sensing her distrust, decided to leave her alone. The other soldiers soon followed after him. They just stood there for a few moments, watching her from a distance, their faces now etched with a mixture of concern and uncertainty.
They could not just leave her, a child, alone in the streets. But they could also not force her to go with them. They were in a difficult position, a moral dilemma that had no easy answer.
And so, after a few moments of deliberation, they decided to leave her, but not before one of them, the same young man who had spoken to her earlier, left a small bag of mora and a piece of bread on the ground beside her.
"Here, these are for you," he said, his voice now a soft, gentle whisper.
"Be careful, little one. The world can be a cruel place."
And with that, they left, their footsteps now fading away, leaving Beidou alone once again, but this time, with a small piece of bread and a small bag of mora, a small act of kindness from a stranger.
Yet, Beidou had enough, she kicked the small bag of mora aside and with tears in her eyes, she devoured the bread with an animalistic hunger.
Beidou's mind was now a battlefield of conflicting emotions. A part of her, the small, vulnerable child, was grateful for the soldier's kindness. But another part, the hardened, cynical survivor, saw it as a pitiful act of charity. An act that would only last for a day before she would be forced to steal again.
The incident with the bandits had also left a deep, indelible mark on her soul. The memory of their lecherous gazes, of their foul breath, of their promise of a fate worse than death, now haunted her nightmares, fueling her paranoia and her distrust of the world.
She became even more reclusive, even more untrusting.
She avoided people as much as possible, her interactions with them now limited to the swift, silent exchanges of a thief. She became a phantom, a ghost, a shadow that flitted through the bustling towns and quiet villages of Liyue, a solitary figure in a world that had rejected her.
***
During one quiet night after robbing a small shop, Beidou came upon a small hill overlooking a small town in the outskirts of the Minlin region.
The town was having a festival of sorts. Colorful lanterns were hung all over the place, and the sound of music and laughter could be heard from a distance.
Beidou, with her curiosity now piqued, decided to take a closer look. She found a hiding spot behind a large bush, a safe vantage point where she could observe the festivities without being seen.
She watched as the townspeople, their faces now lit up with joy and merriment, danced and sang, their voices now a symphony of pure, unadulterated happiness!
But most of all, she saw the joyous faces of children as they run around holding all sorts of different kinds of toys, food and sweets that their parents had given them.
She saw a little girl, no older than her, being lifted onto her father's shoulders, her laughter now a melody of pure bliss.
She saw a little boy, with a face smeared with icing, happily munching on a large, colorful cake.
She saw a family, huddled together, sharing stories, their faces now a portrait of love and contentment.
....
She watched them, and the very joyful sight in front of her finally broke her!
Beidou ran, she ran towards the top of the hill with tears now streaming down her face.
The entire village of happy people and their happy families served as a painful reminder to what she had lost and what she can never have!
A mother's gentle embrace…
A father's loving gaze…
A grandfather's gentle comfort…
A home filled with warmth and laughter.
The small flame of hope that had once burned so brightly within her heart, now flickered, threatening to be extinguished by the suffocating darkness of her despair and loneliness.
She collapsed onto the ground, her body now wracked with sobs, her tears now a river of grief.
She looked up at the star-filled sky, her eyes now pleading, her heart now a desperate, agonized cry.
"WHY?!" she screamed, her voice now a raw, guttural cry of pure anguish.
"WHY?! WHY IS THE WORLD SO UNFAIR?!"
"LORD OF GEO! ADEPTI!" she shouted, her fists now clenched in defiance.
"IF YOU'RE ALL REAL. IF YOU'RE REALLY OUT THERE. WHY DO YOU LET PEOPLE SUCH AS MYSELF SUFFER?!"
"WHY DO YOU LET MONSTERS LIKE THOSE BANDITS ROAM FREE?!"
"WHY DID YOU LET SOMEONE LIKE ME SUFFER IN THIS CRUEL AND UNFORGIVING WORLD?!"
"Answer me! Answer me! ANSWER ME!!!"
Her screams, however, were met with only silence.
The stars, once a source of wonder and inspiration, now seemed to mock her. Their cold, distant light a symbol of the gods' indifference. The world, it seemed, had turned a deaf ear to her cries.
She laid there for hours, her body now numb, her mind now a blank slate. She felt a coldness of the wind brush her cheeks as tears continued to fall from her eyes. She curled up, trying desperately to fight out the cold once more.
She was now just a small, broken child, lost and all alone in a vast, uncaring world.
"Mama….where are you?" Bediou silently whimpered.
(End of Interlude...to be continued)
____________________
Downriver
- Downriver is an abandoned fishing village located in Minlin, west of Wangshu Inn.
- Downriver was named due to its location in relation to another fishing town called "Upriver," as its villagers had moved in from that place. With them, they brought their generational knowledge of fishing.
- This town is also be where Xiling and Beidou lived, as they grew up together here.
____________________
Minlin
- Minlin is a vast inland region of Liyue which sits south of the Bishui Plains, east of Qiongji Estuary and north of the Lisha region.
- Minlin is home to several notable locations in Liyue such the Huaguang Stone Forest, Nantianmen, Jueyun Karst, Mt. Aocang, Mt. Hulao, and the ancient Cuijue Slope.
____________________
The Abyss Order
- The Abyss Order is a mysterious, powerful legion of monsters from the Abyss who are the enemies of both humanity and surface civilization, and thrive in many corners of Teyvat.
- The Abyss Order was founded by Chlothar Alberich, a noble in the Alberich royal family. Some time after the cataclysm, he encountered the sinner Vedrfolnir and was greatly awed by his power. Chlothar would then go on to establish the Abyss Order.
- The Abyss Order's size, membership, hierarchy, and degree of power are unknown. Because most members reside in the Abyss, little is actually known about them by Teyvat, other than that they hold a strong hatred against the people of the seven nations and their Archons, and desire to overthrow the world ruled by the Archons.
- Many, if not all members were originally from Khaenri'ah prior to being cursed.
- The Order is currently ruled by an enigmatic figure known as thePrince.
____________________