Chapter Text
Nahida was puzzled. When she felt a discrepancy in Irminsul, she went to investigate. The moment she went into Irmisul, the world around her glitched, as if Irminsul itself was rejecting her. A menacing message appeared in her mind as she reappeared in the Sanctuary of Surasthana.
You can’t escape your fate, little god.
This had never happened before, and she still had to figure out what was wrong with Irminsul, so she asked her most trusted companion, who she jokingly calls Hat Guy, to investigate.
“New branches are appearing?” She asks.
Hat Guy simply nodded his head and wrapped his arms across his chest. “Yes, I do believe that Irminsul is spreading. The places where the discrepancies are taking place have memories of things I’ve never seen before. From their architecture to their powers, it’s all new information. I believe this new information is from beyond Teyvat.”
”I see,” Nahida responded, bringing her hand to her chin in thought, “Did you see anything that could become a problem for us if we end up joining the rest of the world?”
One eye roll from Hat Guy was all she needed for her answer, but stayed quiet. She hadn’t seen him this irritated since he befriended that little dragon from Mondstat.
”Their mindset is idiotic. Totally black and white. Apparently they have tried to get to Teyvat multiple times. The entire fleet didn’t survive each time.”
Nahida wasn’t expecting that response. People from the outside have tried to reach out, but they all died? Couple that with the apparent black and white viewpoint and she couldn’t fathom what the outside thinks of them. This could be a huge issue if not addressed.
”That could be an issue. Didn’t you say that the traveler had left Nod-Krai already?”
Hat Guy straightened, though an adorable confused expression graced his face. “Yes, I believe he should’ve made it to Shneznia by now. Why do you ask?”
Nahida giggled as she said, “Oh Hat Guy. Forgot the Tsaritsa’s plan already?”
His eyes widened, suddenly remembering the war against Celestia will begin very soon. His face went pale as he stammered a quiet, “Shit.”
Nahida nodded solemnly as she said, “I’ll take another look to see if we can somehow circumvent this potential catastrophe. Meanwhile, you should take a break. You’ve been working yourself to the bone lately.”
”But-“
”No, Hat Guy. At this moment in time, you need to rest. We need you at your best during the war, so take some time off. Wasn’t there a certain wandering samurai you wanted to meet?”
Hat Guy’s face flushed, but he quickly turned away and scowled as she giggled.
”Why are you like this?” Hat Guy sighed, “Fine, but only because it’s you asking.”
”Whatever you say, Hat Guy. Whatever you say.”
And with that, he stormed out of the Sanctuary of Surasthana. Now alone, Nahida did her own digging on the discrepancies in Irminsul. She was incredibly curious about all this new information, especially the powers. She sat down in the center and got to work.
~~~~~~~~~~
It had been hours since she started looking through the data. She was surprised that a different type of power had presented itself in the outside world. Unlike visions, which you have to earn, these powers were genetic. It didn’t surprise the little archon that Irminsul didn’t see these genetic powers, the colloquial term used by the outside being quirks, as Teyvat was “shielded” from the rest of the world for 500 years. Quirks only started appearing 200 years ago and Irminsul was still sick at the time. It could only spread through Teyvat without dying out completely, which would be detrimental to both Teyvat and the outside. But since the traveler helped Nahida heal Irminsul, it’s been growing in strength, hence the discrepancies.
But unfortunately, Hat Guy was right. Because of the barrier that kept Teyvatians in and outsiders out, the rest of the world had declared the whole of Teyvat villains. They are still trying to brave the barrier and take all of Teyvat into custody to this day. Once they win, and they will win, the battle against Celestia, there is another war around the corner. Nahida was tired of all this war. She knows she’s the god of wisdom, but it shouldn’t take a god to understand that war never leads to anything good. There is never a wholly bad group of people, and most cases people usually talk about are the very vocal minority.
That being said, there had to be a way to stop this from happening, right? Nahida thinks about this for a long time until she sees something in Irminsul. A strange light appeared, beckoning her. As she reached out, the world around her glitched out again, the same menacing message as before appearing in her head. What was Irminsul doing?
As if on que, Irminsul led her to a different pocket of information. She saw a rather large stoat in a suit, and a school for training these quirks to save others. A creature who knows what it’s like to be mistreated for something they couldn’t control. A being who treasures wisdom and intellect over anything else. If she wants to give Teyvat a chance, she has to reach out to him. The only question left is how to even reach out to the outside world to begin with.
When Irminsul began to guide her once again, she found her way onto something called a website. She fully tuned in and saw it was a game, specifically chess. Irminsul led her to his specific username, which was hilariously RatGod, and invited him to a game. Nahida was surprised when he accepted and the game was on. RatGod, which is now going to be what she would call him despite knowing his name, had started the chat while moving his first piece.
RatGod: Hello GrassQueen, are you perhaps a new player. I haven’t seen this username before.
Nahida started to laugh, which was the wrong move because apparently anything she says in here appears in chat, leading to a lot of question marks from her opponent.
GrassQueen: Oops, sorry about that. I was laughing about my username and must’ve accidentally typed it out. Yes, I’m a new player.
The chat was silent till the end of the game. Naturally, Nahida won, but RatGod put up a good fight. RatGod started typing.
RatGod: My, my. I don’t think I’ve ever lost before. You are truly a formidable player. Best 2 out of 3?
Nahida sighed. This was going to be a long night.
~~~~~~~~~~
Nedzu stared at his computer, his jaw hitting the desk. Someone beat him in chess? No one ever had. A feral grin graced his features as he found a new puzzle to solve. He would go on as long as he could to gain the answers he seeks. That’s just the type of mammal he is. He smiled as GrassQueen accepted. Once the game began, she started asking questions about his life. He kept his answers vague until one particular question piqued his interest.
GrassQueen: Have you ever heard of Teyvat?
RatGod: Yes, but not much, and most of it very negative. Might I ask why you asked?
GrassQueen: That depends on how you answer this next question. Do you wish to know the truth?
Nedzu’s smile widened to such an extent that if any of his staff entered his office right now, minus his favorite human of course, they would’ve been terrified. He already knew his answer.
RatGod: Always