Memories are a funny thing, ain't they? We got all the control in the world over them, but we also have none at all. Some say that the present moment is the only reality, and that our past is nonexistent; something our mind made up. And since we can...
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Teyvat has never seemed so foreign to me before. The lands and water stretched far and wide as I hiked down sandy pathways snaking through the wave-like ground. The route I mapped has been planned ages ago; stories of travelers have made me draft the possible roads to my destination more times than I can remember. I was very much satisfied with the end result, even though the result of all the teachings, thoughts, and tales made it into a rather weird journey.
"There's one fast solution to reaching Liyue Harbor," said one of the travelers when I was younger, sipping on a big wooden mug of Mondstadt beer he dragged all the way to the Sumeru City with him. "The Chasm. But while it is fast, it is one of the most dangerous places in all of Teyvat. Well, for adventures like myself at least. Would not recommend it in the slightest."
Although the guy seemed entirely unbothered while he gulped down the booze, but I took his word for it. The journey around the Mounts Aocang and Jueyun Karst might be a stupid idea, but it should suffice. I have always wanted to visit the peace and the mysteriousness of the Liyuean adepti mountains. (A/n: the route around the Chasm is just as long as what Google Maps suggests when riding by bike XD)
I really want to reach Liyue, however, I want to travel and get to see as many places as I can during it just as much. The process has to be just as entertaining as the result, which is why I made it so for myself.
Night settled down, shadows looming wide over rolling hills and wild plains, the stars shining like spilled glitter in the dark sky overhead. The only sounds I could hear were the rustling of trees and tall grass, and my own steps against the soil. Already I felt alone and slightly afraid of anything that could be lurking in the darkness, but I felt too excited to give up and go back. In fact, I knew that I would not go back no matter what. Not now, not now that I had started my journey onward.
I trudged forward, up the path of the hill which was getting rough underneath the soles of my boots. Sand ground against rock, the dampness of the day settling into the clay underneath. Sweat formed at the back of my neck, my panting growing heavier. The hardest moment of every journey is seeing the end very near but knowing that you are not there yet, which makes the last minutes the toughest and the longest.
As I reached the top of the hill, I bent my knees and chuckled a bit to myself. Here I am, standing on a hill in foreign land, with only the stars to keep me company, when just earlier today I was in the gigantic graduation hall surrounded by students and friends. The view far around me stretched out to a marvelous scenery of warm-light torches, wilderness, fields, and huts dotting the areas were paths crisscrossed or faded. Trees loomed large where they stood, covering everything behind them.
The echo of the hug of my friend group earlier in the empty hall danced around me, and I shortly allowed myself to wish that they held me again. I wanted Alhaitham to take his words back, I did not want to be the cruel woman he said I was. I wanted to have more time to talk to Nilou but at the same time get to receive as much of Cyno's attention as I used to. Even if he had no affection towards me, I was not a stranger to him. I was his close friend and sparring buddy.
I shook my melancholy thoughts away. Because besides them, my heart was beating with the thrill of a new adventure and fresh beginnings. It's not like I wanted to run away from my life as it was, I just needed a new chapter.
I unrolled my map. I had to stop somewhere for the night and so my eyes fell to the Gandharva Ville that was circled in red. I spotted it a short distance away below the hill. With a happy sigh, I folded my map back into my pocket and headed downhill. One might think that walking downhill is a piece of cake, however it is not so. The steepness of the uneven path makes it hard to step thoroughly into the earth, therefore the journey down is a battle for balance.
Trees start to twist above the pathway as I descend, signaling that the entrance to the Ville. Roots break the surface of the sandy way, but it is turning smoother and easier to walk on. Torches began to appear along the trail, creating a welcoming aura that makes me think of smooth cotton bedsheets and simple but hot Sumerian suppers.
I have, in fact, never stayed in a Sumerian village, but I have always wanted to. It is famously known that while the Gandharva Ville is a rather secluded and quiet place, it is welcoming and peaceful. Although I could walk the whole night and set up a tent further away, my heart ached for some minimalistic village experience before I get to leave Sumeru and all that it is behind.
A breath of wind tickles my cheek as I take a turn on the trail and find myself facing a long archway of twisted tree-trunks. Each thick branch held a hanging wooden house, the windows of which glowed with a warm yellow light. Thin vines of wild flowers decorated some of the roofs; little pink blooms poking about the roof.
My heart fluttered. This was one of the cutest things I have ever seen, and I couldn't help but hasten my walk to a gentle sprint, despite the fact that my legs were aching from climbing and walking down hills. I felt my cheeks warm with a childish smile that tugged on my lips. Above and around me were cute little cottages hanging on trees!
I almost expected someone to come out and "force" me to stay in their home, but nothing like that happened. I had to gather the last of my wits to get my introverted ass to clamber up the entrance ladder to one of the many houses and courageously knock on the front wooden door.
"Hello?"
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Damn, this short chapter took weeks before I actually decided to write it, but here it is! My birthday is tomorrow, although I don't think I'm ready to be 16 LMAOhfhgh. Anyway, I'll try to write a little more often now, so I'm sorry for the lack of content.
AND YES, I AM BACKING THAT CAKE NEXT WEEK! RARGHH! I'll give y'all a heads up when that happens, since my first fanfic is alr at 11K lol.
Gonna go sleep now, because tomorrow is a big day!
