which a star | genshin x reader

Chapter I: Act I

#3: Go wind gliding. 

Despite sister Gotelinde’s wishes, [Name] sneaks out of the church in the middle of the night, wearing nothing but a flimsy tank top and pants still soaked in blood from this morning. 

She just learned she would die in a year, she is not going to waste any more time lying in bed. Her body will just have to keep up with her stubborn spirit, unyielding to the masses of pain that wash over her constantly. The moon has crowned the sky by the time she exits the church, the cold evening breeze engulfing her bare skin as her bare foot pads against the ground. Though she escaped out of the confinements of the church, she knows making it through the city without being caught will be difficult. 

She knows the only people lingering in this time of night are the tavern drunkards, the patrolling guards, and perhaps some travelling merchants. [Name] wouldn’t be surprised to find Diluc scouring the streets, as he always does. 

“You can do this, [Name],” She says to herself through chattering teeth; whole body shivering from the immense cold. The stairs before her look entirely intimidating. With a bad leg, she doesn’t know how she’ll get through this without crying. It’s hilarious how a seasoned adventurer is bested by a simple set of stairs. Only a month ago she was sprinting up these steps, it’s funny how her entire life changed from one stupid illness. 

Never mind. [Name] has never been one to give up. This weakening body of hers won’t stop her from doing such a simple task. It’ll be like exercise. 

If exercise felt like death. 

The first step has her crying out in agony. She’s pretty sure she scared a flock of pigeons away. Oh, well. [Name] has to stop and breathe for a moment, chest heaving up and down as sweat slides down the side of her forehead. Her bad leg burns tortuously. She holds onto the railing, gritting her teeth as she takes one more step. 

She exhales through clenched teeth, eyeing the never-ending staircase. 

It’s going to be a long night. 

By the time she reaches the plaza, her body is one second away from shutting down. The sun’s beginning to rise on the horizon. She takes a seat on the edge of the fountain, hoarsely breathing as her head prickles with pain. There are scrapes on her arms, fresh from the many falls she had while climbing down the stairs. She cups her hands and gathers water from the fountain, splashing it onto her stinging wounds and some on her face as well to wash away the blood and grime. 

She gives her body a moment to rest, biting down the tormented whimpers as the ache in her legs washes over her with full vengeance—retaliation, it seems, for exhausting her body when she should have been resting in a bed. Phooey! She hasn’t got enough time to lay in a bed, the clock is ticking, and it echoes in her head constantly; she’s living on borrowed time. 

The plaza is quiet, deafeningly so. Most of the buildings are closed for the night, boarded up in caution. What a shame, she would have liked a quick meal at Good Hunter. Only Katheryne hasn’t resigned for the evening, staring straight ahead with blank eyes. [Name] passes by her without a single thought.

There are two guards stationed outside the city. She attempts to act casually, as casual as one can be with blood-stained trousers and a bandaged waist. They greet her with a yawn, and she tries to reciprocate with a forced smile—only to end up coughing out, throat burning as her chest tightens excruciatingly. She hightails out of that situation before they could ask any questions. There’s no doubt they’ll report this to Kaeya later. 

Drat, she has to get out of Mondstadt quick. 

—

Hours later, she is not away from her hometown. Instead, she finds herself sitting at the edge of a cliff, watching the night sky bleed into warm orange hues. There’s a bottle of dandelion wine in her hands, half-empty already. She stole it on her way here from an unsuspecting adventurer’s camp. It’s not like she’ll have to live with the guilt for much longer.