Genshin Impact: Awakening in the Darkness

Xuan Yue, currently appearing as a 12-year-old boy, easily slipped into the densely packed crowd. It was Ruo Tuo who suffered as he pushed his way forward alongside Ruo Yaweis. By the time he finally caught up, Xuan Yue had already stopped. But he was already at the very front row; the stage was just ahead.

"Just then, the Heavenly Emperor sensed the danger of the battlefield and flew into it from afar, helping the Emperor escape this predicament." The person on the stage spoke with great enthusiasm, and the audience below listened with great interest.

"When the Mirror Demon saw the Heavenly Lord flying over, he tried to hold him off by himself. The Heavenly Lord and the Mirror Demon fought back and forth, but in the end the Heavenly Lord was slightly better and pierced the Mirror Demon's body with his sword."

Xuan Yue's lips twitched upon hearing this, and she stiffly turned to look at Ruo Tuo: "This...this..."

"Hahaha, humans always have a certain fascination with battles between demon gods. They call these kinds of stories storytelling, and that's how the title of Morax the Geo Archon was popularized. Now you, no, you, the Noyavis, have also been given the title of Bright Night Celestial Lord by the people of Liyue."

"That's certainly novel," Xuan Yue nodded.

"But the power of the Mirror Demon God is troublesome. Seeing that he was at a disadvantage, he used his power to create five copies of the Heavenly Lords to fight against him."

"But the Heavenly Lord's strength was astonishing. He vanished from his spot in an instant, while simultaneously conjuring countless ice swords. He approached the imposters undetected, then shot an arrow at them from above to draw their attention before disappearing again. At this moment, the imposters were unaware of the approaching danger. The Heavenly Lord shouted, 'Shaoyin, condense.' The five imposters completely dissipated into the world."

"Wow!" A gasp erupted from the crowd.

"How is it?" Ruoduo smiled as he looked at the person involved.

"The analysis is good. Although he may have guessed it, it is indeed the case, and his explanation is also good. He deserves praise." Xuan Yue nodded in approval.

“Human imagination is always wonderful. What you’re saying will give them confidence,” Ruoduo said with a smile. Their conversation was protected by this special barrier, so it wouldn’t be overheard by others.

"Knowing he was no match for the Mirror Demon, the Mirror Demon immediately tried to flee. The Heavenly Lord glanced at the Emperor, who was still locked in a fierce battle, and the Thousand Rock Army soldiers fighting on the ground, and made a decision. He flew into the sky. At that moment, the world was rapidly changing. The original daytime instantly turned into an endless, suffocating night. The Heavenly Lord's aura pressed down on the three demons, rendering them unable to move. Everything happened in an instant."

"The Heavenly Lord walked step by step before the demon gods. First, there was the Mirror Demon God, who was stripped of his power and forced to perish. Then came the Mountain Demon God, who begged for mercy before the Heavenly Lord, but the Heavenly Lord said, 'How many innocent humans have died at your hands? Today I will use your power to grant you your demise.' After saying this, the Heavenly Lord created a mountain with his bare hands and pressed it down on the Mountain Demon God. In just a few breaths, both demon gods perished."

"Hmm, that's well said. Should I give you some encouragement? What do you think?" Xuan Yue smiled as she looked at Ruo Tuo.

"You've exhausted your divine power, so you should conserve it," Ruoduo kindly reminded him.

"Then lend me some. I don't know how long it will be before I come back again. It's already a rare treat to be able to go out like this. So, Your Majesty the Dragon King wouldn't refuse such a small request, would you?" Xuan Yue smiled innocently.

"Alright, alright, I'll give it to you." Ruo Tuo couldn't stand looking at him like that, so he sent a ball of energy into Xuan Yue's body.

"Thank you," Xuan Yue said.

"Only one Dream Demon God remained. Seeing the Heavenly Lord closing in, he roared, 'If I die, they will die too! If my authority is stripped away, they will die too! For their sake, you cannot kill me!' The Heavenly Lord stopped, pondering a way to achieve the best of both worlds. Ah! An idea struck him. He grabbed the Dream Demon God by the neck, stripping him of his authority, and then, wielding it, soared into the sky once more. At this moment, the Heavenly Lord transformed again. When he cleaved the clouds with his sword, allowing the light to shine on everyone's faces once more, a miraculous scene unfolded: those controlled by the Dream Demon God recovered, even the hidden injuries of everyone in the army were healed. Even the Demon God's resentment was removed, preserving us a new home."

"Good! Good!" At this point, everyone applauded, as if cheering for the storyteller's excellent storytelling, for the achievements of the Heavenly Lord of the Night, and for the fall of the evil god.

"The seasons of heaven and earth divide, spring comes and autumn goes," Xuan Yue murmured the incantation, his body tinged with a faint golden light: "South of the mountains and north of the rivers, we shall meet again in our prime."

The sky suddenly darkened, a strong wind picked up, and people cried out that it was going to rain, scattering in an instant. The clouds gathered, forming a vortex, with the center pointing directly towards the stage. A ray of morning light shone on the storyteller. Birdsong filled the air, and golden birds led flocks of birds towards the source of the light, creating a wondrous scene.

"It's the Heavenly Emperor! The Heavenly Emperor has manifested!" Someone burst into cheers.

"Heavenly Lord..." The storyteller looked at the morning light shining on his face, and crystal tears welled up in his eyes.

The extraordinary celestial phenomenon was fleeting, but it did not dampen the enthusiasm and joy of the crowd, who cheered all around for the title of Mingye Tianjun.

"Humans," a clear, ethereal voice resonated through the heavens and earth, reaching everyone's ears. The commotion in the crowd gradually subsided, and the voice continued, "Your story is brilliant. I, the Night Demon God Ruyavis, have now made the same choice as the Rock Demon God Morax: to protect you. Therefore, believe me, the end of the apocalypse is not far off, and what follows is rebirth." Specks of white light scattered shimmering powder, bringing the demon god's words to a close.

The crowd erupted in cheers again when he finished speaking, even louder than before.

"Hey, you're completely tied to Liyue now." Ruo Tuo said to Xuan Yue, who was now waving a fan and beaming with joy, as the golden light dissipated.

"It was only a matter of time, after all, I signed a contract with Morax back then. He took me in, so isn't it normal for me to help protect his territory? Once that guy wakes up, he'll probably be back to the peak of a top-tier demon god."

"Wait! You said it's recovered to what?!" Ruoduo thought he had misheard and couldn't believe it.

“Xuanqing is the master of the night, so it’s normal for him to conserve his power in the darkness. Besides, Morax guessed correctly; our own strength is recovering. Otherwise, I wouldn’t want to wander around in this body. However, it will still be some time before Xuanqing wakes up,” Xuanyue explained.

“Yes, I understand. Actually, there are many things you don’t need to hide from me. Morax and the others are just concerned about you; they don’t want to pry into your secrets,” Jodo explained.

"I'd like to see how the Dream Demon Gods and their followers are being arranged, is that alright?"

“Okay, I’ll take you there. We can talk to Morax about making arrangements for your medical treatment.”

"Dragon King, let me remind you first, I am a demon god, not a human."

“I know, I know. This was Morax’s arrangement beforehand,” Jota said with a smile.

"When did this happen."

"Just now," Ruoduo chuckled dismissively.

……

"Your Majesty, thanks to the Heavenly Lord, there were very few injuries in this battle, and no casualties. Judging from the land quality reported by Gui Zhong, it is indeed a rare treasure land. Based on Li Yue's production situation, it is estimated that..." Liu Yun was reporting to Morax on the inspection, analysis, and arrangements for the Dream Demon God's territory.

"Alright, what about those Yakshas?" Morax asked, remembering how the five Yakshas, ​​along with their entire clan, had knelt before him, offering their atonement. It was only because of Noavis that he had won the battle relatively easily, bringing an end to his century-long struggle against the Dream Demon.

He then said that anyone who wanted to stay and fight alongside him should sign a contract. The five yakshas signed without hesitation, so he renamed them: Tengshe Taiyuanshuai Fushe, Xinyuan Dajiang Minu, Huoshu Dajiang Yingda, Luojuan Dajiang Fanan, and Jinpeng Dajiang Xiao.

"The five of them are currently sparring in the makeshift training ground next door. I must say, their martial arts skills are truly formidable; no wonder they were able to slay a mid-level demon god," Liu Yun praised.

"The Yakshas are considered nobles among the immortals, so I'm not surprised they have such abilities. They've been enslaved by the Dream Demon for too long, and since there's been a rare lull in the fighting recently, let them have a good rest."

"So, what are Your Majesty's plans for them?"

"There are too many remnants of demon gods in Liyue, so let's send them to clean them up. After all, if we keep them around, it will only make the common people suffer in the end."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Liu Yun acknowledged the order and withdrew.

"Hey! Morax!" Jota's voice came through.

(Why is that guy here? Wasn't he supposed to protect Joavis?) Morax walked out of the tent upon hearing the sound and saw Joavis in white robes next to Jota.

"It seems you've emerged. Should I call you Xuan Yue?" Morax said, looking at Noahvis, who appeared to be only about twelve years old.

“Yes, Xuanqing is currently in a deep sleep. I have been in control of this body for the time being. I came here simply out of curiosity about the five Yakshas I saved back then,” Xuan Yue said.

"Yaksha, I understand. Come with me. They're in the training grounds now." Morax led Xuan Yue and Ruo Tuo toward the training grounds.

……

At this moment, on the training ground

"Hey, Vanan, don't be so ruthless!" Mi Nu blocked Vanan's claws with his gun, then used the momentum to strike Xiao, who was fighting Ying.

Xiao glanced at it, then leaped high to dodge Mi Nu's attack. He then launched a heavy blow at Mi Nu, who dodged it and felt a sudden surge of lightning power around him. He immediately enveloped himself in rocks and instantly ran behind Fu She...

"They're quite energetic. Without the control of the Dream Demon God, their spirits are no longer low, which is a good thing," Xuan Yue nodded.

"They are very hardworking, and they are also very young, so they have room for growth," Morax commented.

"Watching them fight gets my blood pumping. When will Morax spar with me again?" Jodra put his hand on Morax's shoulder.

"Like I said, let's fight the enemy on the battlefield. After all, our battle will probably destroy Liyue. After the battle is over, I can accompany you to some open space for a sparring match." Morax's "after the battle" refers to the Demon God War.

"Okay, okay, this is what you said."

“Yes, those who break their promises will be punished.” A golden glint flashed in Morax’s eyes.

"Hey, it's the Emperor and the Heavenly Lord." Fa Nan noticed the three people not far away and immediately called for a halt so that he and the five of them could pay their respects to the two demon gods and the Dragon King.

“It seems you’ve taken good care of yourselves,” Morax said.

"Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I will never forget your kindness in taking me in," Fu She said respectfully.

"Get up, all of you, stop kneeling." Xuan Yue called them up one by one, and when she got to Xiao, she couldn't help but say to Morax, "Morax, this child is severely malnourished. He's probably been tormented by that Dream Demon God. Remember to tell Liu Yun and Gui Zhong to give him some extra nutrition."

A warm current surged through Xiao's heart, though he didn't know what it was. But he knew that the demon god before him, who looked like a child, had given them five salvation, and that the Emperor had given them new names and a new life. This kindness had never been forgotten even 2000 years later.

"Understood, I will inform Liu Yun and Gui Zhong to be careful," Morax nodded in response.

"Xiao thanks Your Majesty the Emperor and Your Majesty the Heavenly Lord." Xiao immediately knelt down again.

"Is Xiao your current name?" Joavis asked, looking at the Yaksha who was kneeling down, only a head shorter than himself.

"Yes," Xiao replied, bowing his head.

"Then may I make you my familiar?" Xuan Yue asked with a smile, a question that surprised Xiao and the other four Yakshas.

"I..." Xiao didn't know how to answer.

"Joavis, have you thought this through?" Morax asked.

"Yes, I really like this child, and I'm sure Xuanqing won't mind," Xuan Yue said with a smile.

"Think it over. So, Xiao, are you willing?" Morax asked, looking at Xiao who was still kneeling on the ground and hadn't gotten up for a long time.

"Your Majesty, Xiao... is unwilling..." Xiao began.

"I see." Xuan Yue didn't seem to have any regrets.

"Xiao!" Fu She and the others panicked.

"May I know the reason?" Morax asked.

"I……"

"Wait a minute, let Xiao stand up first," Xuan Yue reminded her.

Xiao then stood up under everyone's gaze. Looking at so many eyes on him, Xiao didn't know what to do.

"Don't be nervous, I'm not trying to make things difficult for you. If you don't want to talk about it, then don't. Just ignore him," Xuan Yue said.

"My Lord, you deserve better..." Xiao said weakly.

"What?" Xuan Yue hadn't even realized what Xiao's words meant yet.

"So that's how it is," Morax nodded.

Xuan Yue finally realized what was happening and smiled helplessly: (This little bird is still insecure.)

“I respect your choice,” he said, then stood on tiptoe and patted Xiao’s head. “Don’t overthink it.” He then left with Ruoduo.

"Sigh..." Xuan Yue sighed again on the way.

"Looks like you're really interested in that kid," Ruoduo said dismissively.

"That child's experience resonated with me, so I considered taking him in as a member of my family, but I was unexpectedly rejected." Xuan Yue didn't hide anything, after all, he genuinely considered them friends.

"Take it slow. Look at Morax, he hasn't taken any followers either."

“Morax signed a contract with them, so even if they weren’t officially recruited as familiars, they’d just be missing a familiar mark, right?” Xuan Yue sighed and continued, “If it were Xuan Qing, that guy would definitely have told me I was being ridiculous…”

"Hahahahaha." Ruoduo couldn't help but burst into laughter, his voice carrying far...