꒰꒰ CHIMERA SCULPTURES | genshin x reader

chapter 1. nostalgia

crepuscular faires shan't wander into such visceral wonderlands,for this elysium was sculpted for the wicked.

yet,whom considers her the epitome of felicity? for it was felicity that was bestowed upon her,and felicity she had refused.

no matter,chafe lies may spill forth from tainted lips,yes! they adourn desultory facades of dulcet peace,veiling the disease swallowing the dissonant elements weilded with maladroit figures,only to allow teyvat to succumb to its repulsive fangs.

the archons are not as benevolent as they appear to be.

"aether,look! there's something in the snow!"

iridescent capes,galaxies orbiting infinite space,an illusion of wiltered wings,etched clouds upon her head,a halo of wax angels.

"it's shiny! do you think it's treasure? c'mon! dig!"

"i'm not a dog,paimon."

yet another false halo,though this boy has been blessed by the sun,celestial irises dance a ballet fued of agony,he returns with a statue of brass bronze.

"woah! that could definitely sell for a lot! but...what is a statue of a girl doing here?" the halcyon pixie ponders,singing cacophony to the skies,a sound of disbelieving mirth slips forth from the traveler's lips.

"it's dragonspine,what did you expect paimon ? but now that you mention it...what is a statue doing here in the middle of nowhere?"

the embryonic copper,rusting venom eating away at its edges,the sculpture a queer sort of abstract sketches playing along the decrepit metals,amorphous curving lines of insanity,filaments wind into disfigured disarray.on a note of caprice,the sun-blessed traveler brushes the rusting hand,casting it to luminescent snow.below the vestique lines of grotesque collarbones,painted upon withering silver was the symbols of the elements so crudely weilded.

"ow! its hot!"

"is this statue an artifact or something...?"wonders the skyward nymph,her miniscule fingers brush the talisman foolishly,"ouch! its hot!"

"that's what i told you a second ago!"

"maybe we should bring it to albedo,he is kind of the dragonspine expert after all."

"or we could bring it to lisa,i don't want to drag this thing all the way around the mountain.in the freezing cold,mind you."

"but mond is way farther than albedo's lab,besides,that thing is as hot as diluc's phoenix! the weather in dragonspine will cool it down a bit."

"..."

"...albedo's it is then."

"yayy!"

a shivering gale,a swirl of ice-tainted atoms,armor against the plethora flames spun in gauzy needles.calloused hands search for areas of dead-cold stygian as bittersweet nostalgic briars bind him in its embrace.

"stop touching her you perv! are you so desperate for a girlfriend that you're going after a statue?"

"i'm searching for a cooler area!you're the one thinking it's a living thing,calling it a 'her' and all!"

ah,yes. nostalgia it may be but some things never change.

the trek to the chalk alchemist's laboratory was,to say the least,lonely.resonating silence,courtesy of the frigid cold,a rare occurance considering the conflicting relations of the star-bound traveler and the effervescent fairy.

"look! a warming seelie !" the miniature being points clumsy fingers to,what most definitely was their savior.

"it has a weird mark on its head ...wait,is this sucrose's pet seelie?"the battle of endurance shall end soon,as the otherworldly wanderer laughs with jubilation,"i knew i took the right road! it was just buried in snow!"

"wait,you dragged us around the mountain not knowing if it was the right way?"

"..."

"i...uh,cleared the path with the statue?"

"aether! you could've broken it!"

"that's what you're concerned abou-"

"hello there,aether,paimon. i thought i heard a commotion." the nochalant being,a result of humanity's curious nature.incandescent eyes of precious gems that glint with amusement,cashmere locks provide penumbra for his face.alas,he chases the destiny he does not seek,though perhaps his sculptor is at fault,so much potential is hidden in the fractures of his golden nebula,the distinct spark seared on his neck.

"albedo!"twin cries of relief encompass the manmade being,a false smile graces porcelain lips,he donns a mask of humane curiousity,the curtains veiling his anxiety.

"we found something strange on the mountain,thought you might want to take a look at it."the ebullient mini lilts a tune of wonder,her companian flings forth the subject of enigma.

"th-this!" a rare expression of shock flits across the chalk prince's face,"this is no ordinary metal! this is chimera,it's metal used by the gods.legends say that humans are made with this material,and if a person with elemental powers touches it,they will feel a searing burn throughout their body.if they touch the chimera for long periods,their body will be reduced to ashes." (a/n: this is not canon.)

"well,it seems like the legends were true,weren't they?"

"i'm so glad we took breaks carrying this thing."

dashes of amusement crosses his quiescent irises yet again as he observes the traveler and his companion,these two were certainly the most interesting people he had ever came across,although carrying boundless burdens,they still dance with an idyllic gait.

"but... if the legends were true,then shouldn't she be...well,alive?" questions the simple nymph,appraising the chimera with a facade of wise ambition,earning a noise of judgement from the boy with golden threads.

"she looks like she's been...tortured or something.her bones are in all the wrong places."lithe hands flutter across metal bone,before flitting back,tearing apart the thorns of heat biting into warm flesh.

"traveler,paimon. thank you for bringing this to me,would you mind if i kept this for a bit? i will alert you if anything of interest happens,of course."muses the tranquil scientist,although his serene gaze missed the silent debates reflecting through the duo's eyes.

"um,albedo,we were actua-" beguile truths spilt from lips of innocence,however it was interupted by the artificial melodies of the star-gazed traveler.

"of course albedo! i'm interested to see the results!" beams of sun seems to be threaded into words,his mellifluous voice uncharactaristically sonorous.

"but- aether!" a childish cry slips from her gluttonous mouth,words snuffed as an arm brings her into faded cloth with aggresion.

"we'll be off then albedo! i think the weird mushrooms paimon ate earlier are coming into effect."although albedo did not have much of a choice,as aether's sweet voice rang from his position halfway down the mountain.

"heh,what an interesting duo,"chuckles the ever-serene scientist,"better get to work."

"hey aether! why did you stop me? if we sold that thing,we could've become millionaires!"

"that's if anyone will believe us,idiot!"

nostalgia it may be,but some things never change.