In the capital, heavy rain poured from the sky, shrouded in dense fog, casting a gray veil over everything. At No. 16 Bolang Street, a lonely and frail old man sat at the edge of Residential Zone 18. Raindrops beat relentlessly against his thin frame, yet he remained motionless, quietly sitting there as if awaiting judgment from fate. In the distance, tall gray concrete buildings loomed in and out of view, illuminated by massive signal lights. When the lights turned red, the crowd would stop; when they turned green, they would move forward. Several digital screens on the streets played patriotic slogans on a loop, while others displayed the time: "Union Era Day 15, February 24, 8:17:34 AM."
At that moment, the old man was discovered by a group of uniformed "Enforcers" wearing armbands. They approached him in formation. As they got closer, the text on their armbands became clear: "Northern Inazuma Rule of Law." They looked at the old man and questioned him as to why he was there. The old man, trembling, replied, "I... my family...""And your family?" they asked."They... all..." Before he could finish, one of the Enforcers seemed to recognize him. "Wait, isn't this the grandfather of that traitor we've been looking for? We couldn't find him before, but now he's surrendered himself." The Enforcers confirmed his identity amongst themselves. Without letting him finish, they took him away—and shortly afterward, he was executed by a firing squad.
At the UNESCO Center of the United Nations in Teyvat, a director wrote in his journal:"Teyvat has been under colonial rule for 15 years. Perhaps ever since we severed contact with Earth, no one remembers the peaceful times. These fractured nations are becoming increasingly reckless, and the United Nations has no real way to stop them. The future does not belong to the UN."Halfway through writing, the director was called away to attend to other matters.
Indeed, the continent of Teyvat had been under colonial control for 15 years. Humanity first discovered Teyvat through a particle collider experiment that inadvertently opened a portal to the dimension—a historic event. Initially, diplomatic progress went smoothly. The Archons of the Seven Nations were eager to have our technicians and workers develop the land and were willing to share their elemental knowledge and resources. A development alliance was formed between Earth's nations and Teyvat's seven countries, and the United Nations drafted a Teyvat Neutrality Treaty, similar to the Antarctic Treaty.
During years of cooperation, Earth's industrial technologies advanced rapidly, significantly boosting productivity through the application of elemental power. Humans also applied elemental energy to military, medical, and other fields.
However, this prosperity was short-lived. The Third and Fourth World Wars radically changed everything. The conflict began when the Western Asian Republic attempted to reclaim the Southern Islands, prompting the Mongor Empire to join the war. Soon, other nations like the Kingdom of Chadou and the Land of Oss also entered the fray. The Western Asian Republic lost the Southern Islands War, leaving the nation in ruins. Driven by vengeance, a military coup broke out, and a nationalist leader established a military dictatorship. This triggered the Fourth World War. The Western Asian Republic, aiming to restore its former glory as a celestial empire, launched wars against many neighboring countries.
To preserve humanity's legacy, a mass migration to Teyvat began. The Teyvat Neutrality Treaty was torn apart, and humanity commenced colonization. Countries invested heavily in Teyvat's development, diverting almost all resources into the project. Industry was relocated en masse, achieving economic and industrial self-sufficiency in Teyvat. The United Nations took full control, despite opposition from some of the local population. But to preserve the flame of humanity, there was no other choice—after all, humans are inherently selfish. To prevent the war from spreading to Teyvat, the portal between the two worlds was destroyed. The first few years were relatively stable, but Noah Alexander Miller eventually unraveled it all.
Miller was born in a poor country, in a small town where even basic subsistence was hard to come by. He became an orphan at a young age and grew up in extreme poverty. From an early age, Miller believed that education was his only way out. Due to a lack of funds, he begged for help to continue his schooling. A kind-hearted police officer adopted him, and at age 12, Miller finally experienced the warmth of family. His adoptive father, a local policeman, was one of the most honest people in the region, refusing to participate in the widespread corruption of his peers. However, his integrity hindered his career progression. Miller's foster father liked to let him play with toy guns and once told him, "Never point a gun at yourself, and ideally, not at others either."
Tragedy struck on Miller's 13th birthday. A rebel group arrived in the town. At first, they caused little trouble, but as resources dwindled and internal strife intensified, they began burning, killing, and looting. Miller's foster father was beheaded by the rebels and displayed publicly. Miller survived by hiding in a cupboard. He could never understand why they had done such things.
At 21, Miller was admitted to a prestigious university in the capital. Haunted by the trauma of his foster father's death, he vowed to save more people and joined the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR). While distributing supplies, he experienced a fleeting sense of power—realizing the resources he controlled could determine others' fates. Though he quickly suppressed this feeling, it planted a seed in his heart that would later grow.