To A New World

Chapter 1

Alarms rang loudly around him drawing him from his daze. He sat up putting a hand to his head wishing the alarms would stop blaring so deafeningly. That was all he could hear while his vision was still blurry from the impact with the ground. He didn't remember ever being dazed from a collision with the earth before. Shaking his head again his vision finally cleared which allowed him to see where he had landed. The room of the building he had found himself in was very strange as it seemed filled with large odd glowing glass tubes.

"How odd..." He mumbled, moving to stand taking note of the shadows, or something within the shadows, darting between each patch of light the tubes gave off. He dusted off his brown attire and hands before looking up the hole he had fallen through seeing that night had fallen. Scrunching his eyebrows together, he could have sworn it was daytime a few minutes ago. Or had that been hours ago? Feeling the back of his head he winced and brought his hand forward to look at. He could see the dim light around him reflecting off the now wet surface of his glove. Clicking his tongue in irritation he focused his attention on the beings that were emerging from the darkness around him. The familiar weight of his spear fell softly into his waiting hand once he had laid his eyes on the bandaged features of those perhaps seeking to surround him.

One of them spoke but he could not discern the words. He should have expected not to understand. Bringing forth his powers from where he suppressed it the ends of his hair glowed orange. The bandaged figures gilded back slightly before another voice came forward.

"Who are you stranger?" the voice spoke as he began getting accustomed to the new language with the help of his powers.

"My name cannot be properly translated in this foreign tongue you speak, but you may call me Zhongli." He replied to the voice. The words he spoke grated against his tongue, at first sounding crude. Internally he cringed at the way the language felt and sounded.

"Zhongli? What an unusual name. Why did you essentially break in?" the voice asked. Zhongli's eyes lowered to the small figure that stepped between the much larger ones. He was surprised by the child before giving pause at the power that radiated off of them.

"I had no intention of breaking into this... space of yours. I merely got separated from my companions and landed here," Zhongli replied, keeping his posture rigid and grip on the pole firm. He didn't want to fight with these, did he dare call them men. Watching the young cloaked person walk around him as if they were judging his strengths and weaknesses he shifted his stance uneasily, not caring for the scrutiny of another ancient being.

"You are not from... here, are you?" They asked stopping in front of him looking up.

Zhongli held in the irritated huff that wanted to come through his nose. "No, I am not. I do not believe I know your name. What are you called?"

"My name is Bermuda," Bermuda replied. "Why don't you put your weapon down and we can talk somewhere brighter."

Zhongli frowned a bit. "I would prefer to keep my spear at hand. I will not use it unless I find it necessary."

"Very well... Zhongli. Come with us." Bermuda said, turning around, moving his hand as a signal to follow. Zhongli walked after him watching the other beings take places on either side and behind him. He understood the caution even if he didn't appreciate it. The ancient child led them up many flights of stairs before light finally reached Zhongli's eyes. Zhongli withheld his flinch the sudden light caused, bringing his attention to a headache he hadn't realized existed. Was all of this caused by being in a new world, is that why he was getting dazed by hitting the earth, a concussion, and now a headache. He was beginning to not like this new world he had landed in.

Zhongli glanced around as they walked into some type of room with a large desk and several chairs around the oddly bright room. He was ignoring the headache that throbbed through his skull with each movement. He watched as the child, Bermuda, and one of the other cloaked men moved behind the desk while the others left, closing the door behind Zhongli. Bermuda sat in the chair motioning to one of the chairs in front of it. Zhongli moved to sit, deciding to let his spear return from where he had originally summoned it. By doing that he felt the curious stares of the two in front of him. Zhongli didn't react to their looks as he carefully settled down into the chair.

"Now Zhongli, where are you from?" Bermuda asked as he intertwined his fingers together on the desk. Zhongli frowned a bit as he thought about how to say it in whatever tongue this was. He couldn't find a way to translate the name, which frustrated him.

"The world I come from is ruled by seven... gods... those gods govern seven countries," Zhongli replied, folding his arms a tad bit frustrated by the lack of words to translate from Teyvetian.

"Seven Gods?" Bermuda asked.

Zhongli nodded lightly. "Yes. By your question, I assume this world is not governed by... gods."

"No, this world has actual government systems that run the countries," Bermuda said, leaning back in his chair. "There are religions but they aren't tied to how the countries are run.

"Religions? I supposed Barbatos has a church, but none of the other six do that I'm aware of." Zhongli said thinking aloud.

"Barbatos? The demon?" The other man asked. Zhongli looked at the bigger man confused.

"Demon? No, I am referring to the Wind God that 'governs' one of the seven countries in the world I am from." Zhongli said, shaking his head lightly trying not to aggravate his headache more.

"Wind God? How odd that there are gods over the elements." Bermuda mused. "And what of you? What are you, Zhongli?"

"Me? I'm just an attendant at a funeral parlor." Zhongli said though he caught the disbelieving gaze the two in front of him had.

"Given that power you displayed earlier, I highly doubt that."

"The country I am from, there are magical beings and gods living amongst humans. They are all bound by a contract to protect the country, they are called a word that cannot be translated, unfortunately. You could say I am one of those if you prefer."

"That technically does not answer my question, Zhongli, I asked what you are not what group you belong to. Are you a god, or a 'magical being' if we are using your terminology." Bermuda said, clearly getting tired of the roundabout answers. "You gave us a name you go by, but not your true name as you said it couldn't be 'translated in this foreign tongue', yet you gave us a name of the Wind God."

Zhongli frowned, almost wanting to leave this annoying conversation. "I don't see why you must know what I am exactly. I am not from this world, I wouldn't think your laws apply to me."

"Our laws apply to anyone and everyone that is not a civilian, and you by our standards are not a civilian." Bermuda nearly snapped. Zhongli raised an eyebrow in confusion, not quite understanding what Bermuda meant by that. He took a breath, closing his eyes so he could evaluate the situation. Usually, he wasn't this quick to anger, so he thought the headache and concussion combination was the cause. Due to that, he wasn't thinking through this situation properly, and therefore was unconsciously reverting to the way he acted before and during the Archon war. Taking another deep breath to calm himself he opened his eyes and looked at the two old beings in front of him.

"Apologies, I haven't been this... brash... for a very long time," Zhongli said, carefully shifting his tone to be more respectful, clasping his hands in his lap. "First you asked me for my name. I have many names, my true name I do not know how to translate it, but the name I go by now is Zhongli and that is what I wish to be called by those that do not know me by my true name. Next, you wish to know what I am... I have retired from my duties as the Earth God and now work as an attendant in a funeral parlor. Now I would like to know for what purpose did you wish to know this information? Is it because I am not from this world, and have found myself... crashing... into your... space...?"

"Jaeger cat-" was the last thing Zhongli heard before darkness took hold of his mind.