"Woah!" Emily clutches her dendro vision possessively as I snatch at it, "Aww come on I want to see it!"
"Anyways congratulations! you got a dendro vision that really cool!" I congratulate Emily
Emily replies, "Yeah but being able to use all of the elements like you do is even cooler..." she pouts. I laugh, "Aww are you jealous?"
After that me and emily play for an hour longer and she heads home.
The next day I after school I decide to enter genshin impact again this time without Emily.
I open discord and type, 'I'm ready to go to genshin impact'
I am dropped near the outskirts of Liyue harbour.
I head into liyue harbour, fighting a few slimes and walked around town for a bit before I found traveler at the docks talking to a civilian named Atsuko.
Atsuko had escaped from inazuma and we listen as she explains how her ship was wrecked and she survived by hanging on a log so she doesn't actually know a real way into inazuma.
She suggests asking someone from the crux fleet if they had any idea how to get to inazuma.
So we head to the crux fleet and ask around, doing the occasional odd job for the people on board there.
After a while doing jobs on the crux fleet we meet beidou and kazuha.
Beidou greets us, "It's the traveler, Livvy and paimon! I knew you would come." Kazuha remarks that we give off the essense of the stars.
Paimon was confused, "The fragrance of what now?"
Beidou introduced us to kazuha, Beidou mentions the Crux Clash and explains, "The crux clash is a martial arts tournament that I hold, the two rules are, you must be an renowned fighter and you must not have a vision."
Traveler and I frown, I explain, "We don't have visions but can use elemental energy regardless..."
Beidou continues, "The prize this time is very special its a masterless vision!"
Kazuha adds, "It was supplied by myself in fact. If the tournament champion can reawaken the vision they can keep it. When a vision keeper dies the light in their vision fades away leaving an empty husk of that once housed that light. It may just be possible for someone else to use it."
We explain how we want to get to inazuma. Beidou laughs, "Why didn't you say so? In that case if you win the tournament you'll have a choice, the vision or a trip to inazuma."
After that was settled we headed to the tournament arena.
We chat to the competitors a little bit before the tournament, some were confident in their ability some had a little bit more humility.
So then we talk to Zhuhan to sign up she was shocked when she saw us, "Wait- traveler and Livvy? Aren't you the traveler that helped liyue fight that ancient god?
Paimon puffs out her chest, "Thats right we are the famous squad of liyue's heros!"
She thinks we have a vision but I explain that we don't she gasps, "Really? but from what I heard the things you're capable of in combat are nothing short of extraordinary!"
Paimon agrees, "Yes but they don't have visions though, see for yourself."
She signs us up and we prepare for the qualifying rounds. I drink some water and traveler does some stretches and we both encourage each other.
Paimon says to us, "Paimon's been thinking about that no vision bearers rule in this tournament, even though you don't have a vision you can still manipulate the elements"
"so paimon thinks you both should probably not use elemental abilities during the tournament."
We both agree and I ask Aether for a weapon and he gives me one of his spare dull blades.
We follow Zhuhan to the arena and the traveler's fight begins, I watch as he slashes at the other competitor and I cheer him on, then if was my turn and with a few slashes we both won.
After the fight we have a little chat with beidou, and the next round begins, Aether wins easily.
During my fight, the other competitor kicks and slashed at me but I dodged gracefully, retaliated with a punch and brought my sword down on him decisively.
Finally we asked beidou about our oppenent in the final round, she replies that he specialises in speed and has superior form.
Kazuha asks for us to go somewhere quiet together he then asks us, "You're skilled in manipulating the elements not just a single element but multiple, correct?"
Paimon nodds, "Paimon knew you were hinting at something the moment we met, so you've known all along."
Kazuha smiles, "Thats right" he explains that he's senses are enhanced so he can tell.
"Could you perchance enlighten me as to how you managed to obtain your combined elemental abilities?"
Aether frowns, "I don't know, I just touched a statue of the seven."
So after chatting a little bit more we headed back to the crux clash arena where beidou annouced that the other combatant hasn't arrived yet.
Kazuha speaks up,"wait a moment something doesn't seem right about this." he asks to check on the prize, where we discover the prize vision was gone.
Kazuha continues, "The culprit only acted recently they would not have gotten far, quick traveler, Livvy let's catch up to them."
We leave beidou behind and ride wind currents up to the next island, where we found the treasure hoarder who stole the vision.
He was suprised, "You caught up with me? How is that possible?" we found out he couldn't activate the vision that he stole.
We fight him and win. Kazuha sighs disappointed, "He has perservered to the very end, yet still the gods do not bestow their favour upon him"
"Put down the vision and leave" then the treasure hoarder leaves in a hurry.
Kazuha explains, "I was testing all possibilities while the vision remained in his hands, when people are forced into a corner that is when their greatest strength will appear. I thought it may be an opportunity for him to awaken the vision. but unfortunately nothing happened"
I muse, "So you were planning this all along?"
Kazuha answered, "Yes, I wanted to know whether it was possible for and extinguished vision to be reawakened. From the moment he stole the vision, I decided to use him for this experiment."
He gives us the vision and asks us to reawaken it, but we couldn't.
We ask him why he is so attached to the vision and he explains with a story.
"the story begins with an old friend, he was once a good friend of mine."
"one day, he asked me of a sword art of which he had heard."
"the Musou no hitotachi"
"I told him, it can only be witnessed when 'divine punishment' is administered."
"It is the pinnacle of the raiden shogun's skill, a symbol of ultimate power"
"but he replied, there must be one who can withstand it"
"there will always be those who dare to brave the lightning's glow"
"then the vision hunt decree arrived. People's aspiration's were stripped away."
"as the raiden shogun began to construct her ideal of 'eternity'"
"while I was fleeing from place to place. I heard that my friend had challenged the vision hunters, to a duel before the throne."
"the defeated faced divine punishment while the victors gain a second chance"
"when i arrived at tenshukaku the duel was over"
"I heard his sentence of divine punishment, his severed blade hitting the ground."
"prehaps that was the glory he yearned to witness"
"before i knew it, i'd stepped forward and snatched the dying vision"
"all i knew was that i mustn't let his hope which burned so brightly, become buried among the ice - cold statue of a god."
Kazuha sighed, "Prehaps one day I may come to find all I have done is meaningless. But as a wandering samurai, I find meaning in traveling and the sprawling beaty of nature that lies along the way."
We return, learning beidou left already having being summoned by lady ningguang. We were crowned the winner of the crux clash and allowed a ferry back to inazuma.
We headed back to an inn and I paid the mora for a stay that night and we went to sleep, awaiting heading back to the crux fleet tomorrow.