Ren
The sea breeze off the coast of the sea of clouds was usually refreshing, but today it just felt sticky. Or maybe that was just Ren's mood.
He stood on the shoreline of the Shoal, watching the waves lap against his boots. The sun was beginning to dip, casting long, orange shadows across the sand—shadows that felt a little too eager to stretch out.
Ren let out a long sigh, kicking a pebble into the water.
"Unbelievable," he muttered to the ocean. "Actually unbelievable."
He ran a hand through his windblown hair, still fuming. The nerve of some people. He prided himself on his business model: 'Swift, Secure.'
He even had a policy that he thought was generous: 'If the package is under ten kilograms and within Liyue borders, it's a same-day delivery, or it's free.'
It was a good policy. It built trust. It got him clients.
And then there was today's client.
'Who orders a single, five-kilogram box of Qingxin flowers to be delivered to the literal peak of Qingce Village at 4:00 PM?' Ren thought, his eye twitching. 'He knew. That smug old man definitely knew.'
The client had been waiting at the village gate, grinning like a cat who got its hands on a big fish, ready to claim his free delivery.
He had looked so disappointed when Ren suddenly appeared as promised, sweat dripping down his back, but the box was perfectly intact.
The look on the man's face was almost worth the exhaustion.
Ren rolled his neck, feeling a pop in his spine. He needed to rewrite his terms of service. Maybe add a clause about altitude. 'Subsection D: If I have to climb a mountain that touches the clouds, you are paying double.'
He closed his eyes, trying to center himself. The Cursed Energy in his gut was still churning from the exertion of reinforcing his legs for the sprint back to the harbor.
Then he felt a sensation. It was like walking past an open oven door.
A wave of intense, prickly heat washed over his back. It wasn't fire—Ren knew what Pyro felt like; Pyro was explosive and hot.
This was different. It was… pure. It was a stinging, radiant brightness that his shikigami were not fond of in the slightest.
Ren didn't turn around. He just groaned, his shoulders slumping.
"Chongyun," Ren said, not looking back. "If you try to slap a talisman on my back, I'm throwing you into the ocean."
"I wasn't going to use a talisman," a calm, youthful voice replied.
Ren turned. Standing a few feet away, holding two blue popsicles, was the young exorcist.
Chongyun looked as cool (pun intended) as ever in his white and blue hoodie, completely unbothered by the coastal wind.
"I was going to offer you a popsicle," Chongyun said, holding one out. "You look like you're overheating. Your energy is... turbulent today."
"Turbulent is one word for it," Ren said, taking the treat. He unwrapped it and took a bite.
The cold sugar hit his system, and he felt a fraction of the tension leave his shoulders. "Thanks. And for the record, I'm not overheating. I'm just annoyed."
"Bad customer?" Chongyun asked, starting to suck on his own popsicle.
"The worst. Tried to scam my delivery guarantee." Ren gestured vaguely toward the mountains.
"People think just because I don't have a Vision, I can't move fast. They forget that I have..." He trailed off, gesturing to his shadow. "Resources."
Chongyun nodded solemnly. "People often underestimate what they cannot see. It is the same with spirits. Just because the common folk cannot see the evil lurking in the corners doesn't mean it isn't there."
Ren side-eyed him. Here it was. The 'Exorcist Talk.'
"Right," Ren said, keeping his tone casual. "Speaking of lurking evils... You didn't track me down all the way out here just to share a snack. What's up? Were you finally able to exorcise a ghost the way you want to?"
Chongyun sighed, a sound of deep, existential frustration. "No. I tracked a disturbance near Lingju Pass for three hours. The moment I arrived... poof." He snapped his fingers. "Gone. The residents said the air suddenly felt 'clear and cheerful.' I didn't even draw my claymore."
Ren watched the boy, suppressing a smirk.
He felt bad for Chongyun sometimes. He was a walking battery of positive energy, and he meant that literally.
Ren didn't know the Teyvat term for it—Yang Energy or whatever—but it was similar to something from his own world.
'Just like Reverse Cursed Energy,' Ren thought. 'He's passively outputting so much positive energy 24/7. No wonder the ghosts run away. It's like a vampire trying to hug the sun.'
In Ren's world, being able to output positive energy like that would make Chongyun a national treasure.
He'd be a top-tier healer or a special grade—or more realistically, high grade one—sorcerer capable of one-shotting high-level curses.
Here? He was just a kid who wasn't happy with his job because he was too good at it.
'He is suffering from success.'
"Maybe you're just too intimidating," Ren offered, finishing his popsicle. "Spirits see you coming and think, 'Not today.'"
"I wish they would stay," Chongyun lamented, kicking at the sand. "I have trained in all the orthodox arts. I have mantras. I have sigils. I want to exorcise an evil spirit with dignity, not just... exist at it until it leaves."
He looked at Ren, his ice-blue eyes narrowing slightly.
"That is why I like being around you, Ren."
"Phrasing, don't make it weird."
"Your energy," Chongyun clarified, stepping a little closer. "It is so... damp. Heavy. It's almost the same as the aura of malevolent spirits. Except it doesn't run away from me."
Ren took a subtle step back. Being this close to Chongyun felt like standing next to an open oven.
"Yeah, well, I'm just built differently," Ren said, forcing a laugh. "I told you, it's just my constitution. Something about being a Jujutsu Sorcerer."
"Ah, yes. 'Jujutsu,' as you call it." Chongyun repeated, testing the word. "But it is strange. Usually, energy this negative manifests as malice. But you don't feel malicious—ok, you kind of do—but you can control it."
Ren's eye twitched at the subtle jab.
"Careful, exorcist," Ren warned lightly, crossing his arms. "You start psychoanalyzing me, and I'm not going to let you see my shikigami anymore."
Chongyun choked on his popsicle. "Alright! Alright. But the offer still stands. If you ever want me to try and... balance your humors... I have a new mantra I've been working on."
"Hard pass," Ren said quickly. "I like my humors unbalanced. Keeps me on my toes."
"Also, when do you think I can meet with your 'Divine Dogs' again? What were their names?"
"Vader and Yoda… No, I'm not changing their names," Ren answered, not giving Chongyun's look any attention.
"Also, probably the day after tomorrow? I don't have anything to do that day, and my Divine Dogs could use some training."
That was something that Chongyun actually suggested they do. While it did hurt his pride a little that the kid was stronger than him, he was able to get stronger relatively quickly.
It was also amusing to see the kid's eyes light up in joy at the sight of his shikigami.
He turned back to the ocean, watching the sun finally touch the horizon. It was nice, really.
Even though Chongyun was technically a natural predator to Ren's cursed energy, the kid was harmless.
He was a friend. One of the few people Ren could actually talk to about 'energy' in a way that helped increase his understanding of the world he was in.
"So," Ren said, relaxing slightly. "Since you struck out at Lingju Pass, you want to grab food? I made fifty thousand Mora on a delivery a while back. I can afford to treat you to something. I know you like—"
Ren stopped mid-sentence.
The hair on his arms stood up, not from the cold wind, and not from Chongyun's positive energy.
It was from a different energy source. A crushing weight that suddenly settled over the beach, heavier than the ocean itself.
He knew this feeling. He had felt it seven months ago, in a cold interrogation room.
"Oh," a soft, melodic voice drifted from behind them. "I didn't expect to find you two here."
He turned around slowly, his boots crunching softly on the sand.
Standing just a few feet away, illuminated by the dying light of the sun, was a woman. She was beautiful, with long, flowing blue hair and eyes the color of twilight.
She wore a bodysuit that looked deceptively soft, accented by a massive bell around her neck and two horns curving back from her head.
Ganyu. The General Secretary of the Liyue Qixing.
To the average citizen, she was a diligent, soft-spoken bureaucrat and half Qilin. To Chongyun, she was a respected elder.
To Ren, she was a horrifying kaiju.
"L-lady Ganyu," Ren squeaked. His voice cracked mid-syllable, betraying him instantly.
He immediately dropped into a ninety-degree bow, stiff as a board. "See you good! Didn't expect you to see here!"
'Fuck!'
Chongyun blinked at Ren twisting his words, looking between the terrified merchant and the gentle secretary.
"Lady Ganyu, what a pleasant surprise. Are you also on a walk this fine evening?"
"I am," Ganyu said, her voice like wind chimes. "I finished my paperwork early today, so I decided to check the coastal defenses. It is rare to see you two together."
Ren didn't straighten up. He stared at the sand, sweat pricking at his hairline.
"Ren?" Ganyu's voice drifted down to him. "You can stand up. We are friends, are we not?"
Ren jerked upright, forcing a smile that felt more like a grimace. "Friends! Yes! Absolutely. Best friends. The best."
The violet eyes studied him, and for a split second, the beach fell away.
__________________________
Seven months ago.
Ren sat on a wooden stool, his hands cuffed to the table. He was still wearing his tattered, slightly burned hoodie from the plane crash.
His head pounded, and every muscle in his body ached from the brief scuffle with the Millelith.
He had spent the last three hours trying to explain to a very confused Millelith soldier that he didn't have a Vision, didn't know what a 'Fatui' was, and that he was very, very confused.
He had been planning to lie his way out of this. He would say he was a traveler from... wherever this place wasn't.
He could probably come up with another reason for his powers. He had instinctively summoned Divine Dog when he woke up inside the cage. It took a lot of convincing for them to not attack his shikigami.
He could run away. This entire debacle was a pain in the ass, and he had no reason to entertain law enforcement he had no knowledge of.
Then the door opened, and she walked in.
The idea of running away died instantly.
Ganyu politely walked inside with a clipboard. The soldier nodded and walked out of the room as she sat down opposite to him.
"Hello," she had said softly. "My name is Ganyu. I apologize for the… tense treatment. Your energy made our personnel uneasy. I was sent here to clear the air."
Ren had opened his mouth to spin his prepared lie—Then, she looked up. Her eyes met his. And Ren nearly fainted on the spot.
In his world, sorcerers learned to sense Cursed Energy. It was a survival mechanism. You learned to gauge an opponent's threat level.
If they were weak enough, you fought. If they were too strong, you would run the hell away.
Sitting across from this soft-spoken woman, Ren's internal radar exploded. The energy inside her wasn't Cursed Energy, but it was massive. Completely engulfing his minuscule reserves.
It felt like standing at the base of a tsunami that was frozen in time, waiting for a single crack to bring the whole ocean down on his head.
'What the hell is this woman?!' his brain immediately concluded. 'Come on, come up with a lie so she doesn't turn you into a smear on the wall!'
"I..." Ren stammered, his hands trembling in the cuffs. "My name is Ren. I'm... I'm not from here."
Ganyu tilted her head. "That doesn't sound like a Liyue name. Are you from Inazuma, by any chance? Mondstadt, maybe?"
"No. I have no idea what those places are." Ren whispered. "I'm from Tokyo." He decided half-truths were better than the real truth.
Ganyu blinked. She checked her clipboard. "I am not familiar with that region. Is it near Fontaine?"
"It's a pretty secluded island up north," Ren said, carefully organizing his words. "I was inside a carriage before there was an explosion. Then I woke up in the cage when the Millileth? Millalith? Mil—"
"Millelith." She kindly corrected.
Ren flinched, "Y-yeah, Millelith… I was on the way to a relative's house when the explosion happened… I have no idea how I ended up in Liyue."
He waited for a reaction. Suspicion, hostility, maybe? Instead, she just watched him with those terrifying eyes.
"And the shadows?" she asked. "Some soldiers said you manifested a black wolf and engaged in a short battle with them. But others were unable to see it."
"It's called Jujutsu." Ren blurted out. He couldn't stop the truth from pouring out; it was like his survival instinct had hijacked his mouth.
"Basically, sorcery from where I'm from. I'm a sorcerer. The wolf… It's an inherited technique that allows me to control shadows and summon shikigami."
He saw Ganyu's eyes widen slightly and panicked, "I-I attacked your soldiers because I thought they were trying to hurt me! Please don't kill me!"
Ganyu paused. She looked at his shaking hands, then at the tears of pure stress welling in his eyes.
She seemed genuinely disturbed by the amount of fear he was showing towards her.
"P-please calm down. If your account is truthful, then there is no cause for alarm," she said quietly. She made a note on her clipboard. "Tokyo… Carriage… "
"The report also said that you knew nothing about Liyue or any of the other nations. Care to elaborate?" She asked slowly, careful to not scare him more than he already was.
"I don't know what to tell you. I have no idea about Liyue, Inazuma, or whatever words your soldiers were talking about."
Ganyu hummed, planting a hand under her cheek. "You said you were caught up in an explosion?"
He nodded.
"I suppose that matches your battered state… But the memories…"
She stood up, sighing. "It seems the trauma of your accident may have caused partial memory loss. You clearly have no knowledge of any Nations or common knowledge… Partial amnesia, perhaps induced by a concussion."
Ren stared at her. "Amnesia?"
"Yes, I will have a doctor check on your condition shortly… Then I will authorize your release under probation," Ganyu stated.
"Though your sorcery will require tight monitoring. I hope you can understand."
He nodded quickly. Not wanting to entertain the idea of what she might do to him if he even slightly resisted.
'I wanna go home…'
__________________________
Ren snapped back to the present. The salty air rushed back into his lungs.
Ganyu was still smiling at him, completely unaware that he had just relived the most terrifying ten minutes of his life/second life.
"You seem lost in thought," Ganyu observed. "Is everything alright?"
"Just... admiring the sunset," Ren lied, sweat rolling down his back. "It reminds me of... how grateful I am. To be here. In Liyue. With the contracts. And the laws."
Chongyun snorted, taking another bite of his popsicle. "He's just jumpy because he thought your presence was a ghost."
"Oh?" Ganyu looked concerned. "Is that so? Well, you needn't worry about ghosts here."
Although..." She tapped her chin thoughtfully. "I did hear reports of a dark presence near the Chasm recently. Since you work in logistics now, Ren, do be careful if you take commissions in that direction."
"The Chasm. Right. I'll just... avoid that entire quadrant of the map."
"Wise," Ganyu nodded. "Well, it has been nice talking to you two, but I have to get going. I have a dinner reservation at Xinyue Kiosk, and one must not be late for meals."
"Never," Ren agreed quickly. "Meals are important. Very. Have a great dinner, Lady Ganyu."
"Good evening, you two."
She turned and walked away, slowly disappearing from sight. Ren watched her go, not moving a muscle until she had disappeared completely around the bend of the cliffside path.
Only then did he exhale, his legs giving out as he slumped onto the sand.
"You are ridiculous," Chongyun said, shaking his head. "She is the kindest person in the Qixing. Why do you act like she's going to eat you?"
"Because," Ren wheezed, staring at the sky. "She is a person with an insane amount of energy that could wipe me out in an instant!"
Chongyun just rolled his eyes, finishing his popsicle. "You have strange instincts for a sorcerer. Maybe you should come over, my family is full of renowned exorcists, they could help you—"
"Nooooooo. No." He cut him off, "No offence, but I'm not fond of any big family related to spirits, curses, or anything of the sort."
Chongyun shrugged. "Eh, Alright. Come on. You promised me food."
Ren groaned, dragging himself upright. "Yeah. Let's go. Maybe the Jueyun Chilis will burn the fear out of my system."