Genshin Impact: Awakening in the Darkness

Deep beneath Teyvat, in the darkest recesses of the earth, in a secluded realm unknown to both man and god, lies an ancient castle. In the central hall of the castle stands a statue, beneath which hangs a line of small characters, but the marks of time have obscured their meaning.

"Tap, tap, tap," crisp footsteps rang out, followed by a handsome boy, about twelve years old, appearing before the statue. His hair was smoky gray, with bright platinum ends, and his eyes were pale purple. He wore a black outer robe with intricate platinum patterns, over a white inner shirt. A white double talisman, with a hollowed-out center, hung at his waist. This attire made his demeanor even more aloof. He stood before the statue in silence for a long time, then sighed, turned, and left the secret realm.

……

On the surface of Teyvat

"Morax, come and have a go at me." The Lava Demon God Aisanris said to Morax, the Rock Demon God who was wearing a white robe and whose arms were glowing with gold.

“Aysanris, you should understand that you are no match for me.” Morax smiled and shook his head. “But, as you wish.”

"Come on." Aisanris assumed a fighting stance, and just as they were about to begin, the ground began to shake. The two quickly flew into the air.

“What’s going on?” Aisanris asked Morax, who was standing beside him.

"It looks like something's about to emerge." Morax frowned, his eyes fixed on the cracks in the ground. Before their eyes, a black figure soared into the air, and then the ground closed again, as if nothing had happened.

Morax and Aisanris assumed fighting stances, warily watching the suddenly appearing demon god.

"Who are you?" Aishenris asked.

The boy turned to Morax and Aisanris, and said in a cool voice, "Night Demon God, Ruyavis." Looking at the two still wary demon gods in front of him, Ruyavis did not say anything more, but looked around and asked, "What time is it now?"

"What?" Aishenris didn't understand.

“What do you mean?” Morax asked.

"Hmm... I'm just asking how many demon gods are still in this world right now," Joavis asked after a moment's thought.

"It's probably in the hundreds, but I'm not entirely sure," Morax said after a moment's thought.

"So, who are you two...?"

"Morax, the Rock Demon God".

"The Demon God of Molten Flames, Aisiris".

"Nice to meet you."

"However, Joyavis, are you a newly born demon god? What are your powers?" Aishengris asked, curious about the power of the demon god before them, hoping to find a worthy opponent.

“I refuse to answer that question.” Joavis decisively refused to answer Aishenris’s question.

"Why!" Aishenris exclaimed incredulously.

“First of all, we’ve only just met, and it would be foolish to reveal my abilities and trump cards to someone I don’t know. Secondly, you have no obligation for me to tell you, so I refuse to answer this question,” Joavis said.

“That makes sense, Aisanris. You’ve been away from your territory for a long time. If you don’t go back soon, something might go wrong,” Morax said to Aisanris.

"Alright~, but next time, Morax, and you, Joavis, you'll have to have a duel with me." Before the two could react, Aisanris had already flown away.

"..." Joavis watched Aisanris's figure gradually disappear from sight, then turned to Morax, who was also silently looking at him, and said, "You're not leaving."

“This is my territory, so why don’t you leave?” Morax said, arms crossed.

“I’m sorry, I’m relatively new to this world and don’t know much about things. Since this is your territory, could you please take me in?” Joavis said.

"Then, similarly, if I take you in, what will you offer in exchange?" Morax asked.

"Then how about I fight you and show you my strength? If you think I can't help you, then I can leave."

“Alright. The contract is complete, and those who break their word will be punished.” Morax’s eyes reflected golden light.

"It seems that contracts are part of your authority."

"Exactly."

"Then, let's begin." A dark purple mist began to emanate from Joavis, his eyes gleaming with a faint purple light. Morax, already holding a rock spear he had casually sculpted, bowed slightly and said, "Please."

Joyavis vanished from his spot in an instant, and when he reappeared, a purplish-black sword appeared in his hand and behind Morax. Morax immediately activated his shield, blocking Joyavis's attack. Then, Joyavis used the rebound force to stomp in mid-air, rushing towards Morax at three times the speed before.

Morax was slammed into the mountains by the force of the blow, creating a large crater and billowing smoke. However, Joavis didn't stop; he immediately vanished from his spot. When the smoke cleared, Morax was unharmed, but his shield was shattered, leaving Morax stunned: (How could he have done that?)

But as if sensing something, it immediately flew away from its original spot, only to be attacked again in the same place. Looking up, it saw Joavis aiming his bow and arrow in the air. The moment he fired his arrow, it was split into countless identical arrows. Morax activated his shield again and threw a rock spear as tall as a mountain, charging towards Joavis.

Upon seeing this, Joavis's expression turned grave. He immediately sheathed his bow and arrows, switching to his purplish-black sword to slash at the rock spear. But to no avail. Just as it was about to be struck, Joavis spread his hands, and a huge black hole swallowed the rock spear, but his face instantly turned pale.

"Morax, I lost," Joavis said, his face already showing signs of exhaustion.

"You're quite good. I originally thought that a newly born demon god like you wouldn't be able to withstand that attack, but now it seems that you're even stronger than I thought."

"Thank you, but to take that attack from you, my divine power is almost exhausted. I am no match for you now."

“I acknowledge your strength. So, according to the contract, I will take you to your resting place.”

"Thank you." Joavis nodded and followed Morax away.

"Royavis, you are the Night Demon God. Judging from the previous battles, your authority seems to have the power to devour and absorb." Morax asked as he flew.

“That’s right. Night represents darkness, and darkness represents the night. Space, time, devouring, and eternal night are my powers.” Joavis didn’t hold back and told Morax everything.

"The technique you just used has reached a level where you can fight against a high-level demon god."

"Still too weak," Joavis said, shaking his head.

After flying for a while, Morax brought Joavis to a mountain peak.

"This is your cave dwelling. There are also several celestial beasts around here. I believe you will get along well."

"Probably, but I need to sleep for a few days to replenish my energy. I need to rest during these days."

"Okay, this is a communication stone. You can use this to communicate with me if you need anything."

“Okay, but those humans are…” Joavius ​​asked, looking at the humans below who were clearly weak but climbing the mountain with crutches.

"They are my people. Humans may be weak, but they contain immense power within them."

“Since you’ve taken me in, I’ll use my last bit of strength to help you.” With that, the white jade pendant at Noyavis’s waist began to glow, revealing a small ball of energy. “I’m sorry, I’ve used up all my remaining energy; this is all I have.” Noyavis then tossed the white energy ball into the air, where it swirled and scattered white powder. The powder adhered to human bodies, and the teenagers visibly began to grow stronger. Those who had been using crutches instinctively put them down and began to cheer.

“Look, isn’t that the new Demon God next to our Emperor? Wasn’t he the one who healed us just now?” A sharp-eyed young man spotted Joavis next to Morax.

"My body doesn't ache anymore, and I feel like I have inexhaustible energy!" a young man shouted, waving his fist.

Humanity is raising its arms and cheering, welcoming the arrival of the new demon god.

“Thank you, Joavis. I never imagined you possessed the power of healing,” Morax said gratefully.

"This is the authority of purification. Night belongs to darkness, but unlike darkness, it has light, so I still have the authority regarding purification. However, the emperor they are calling is... you."

"That's right, there's something I'm actually hiding. The current era can be called the War of Demons and Gods, and I've established my own territory here, signing contracts with a group of celestial beasts. Humans call those celestial beasts immortals, and they call me the Rock King Emperor."

"The War of Demons, what about Aishengris?"

"That guy is an old friend from before the Demon God War. We used to spar together all the time. But when the Demon God War started, he didn't want to be my enemy, so he left. Now he manages some humans, though not many. He comes to spar with me occasionally when he has free time; it's become a regular occurrence."

"That's quite a friend, cough cough!" Joavis couldn't help but cough violently. "Sorry, Morax, I need to rest as soon as possible. Let's talk after I get out." Joavis's face paled even more.

"Well, take care."

"You too." After saying that, Joavis turned and went into the cave. Then, a magic circle appeared at the entrance of the cave, indicating that the master inside was in seclusion.

Morax gazed at the scenery for a while, then left...