❛ 原神 ; 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞 - venti

𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝

time: 10pm

date: 12th march

venue: y/n's bedroom

all good things must come to an end, and just like you had anticipated, the battery had died down. you'd think that after decades of evolution they would invent things that didnt need charging. you managed to say your goodbyes though, and opened your eyes. you were facing the ceiling of your bedroom. pulling your hand to your face, you noticed real fingers. indeed, you were back in the real world.

you sat up on your bed and looked at the time - it was 10pm. god it felt like it had only been a few minute though... were you dreaming? you had went ice skating with ayaka and qiqi, and was reminded of how the story of genshin impact actually was by zhongli of all people. you had so much fun that you didnt even want to leave, but when you started feeling dizzy and glitchy, you knew that time was up. they were so worried about you, they thought you were dying, but you knew it was the battery so you reassured them so.

you sat up on your bed, wondering to yourself if you really just went through that. you did. you did actually have some drinks with diluc, charles, rosalia and kaeya - that was real. you felt it in your soul. you could taste the alcohol, you could still sense the tang in your mouth. that was real.

your mind was racing at this point, you wanted to go back yet you knew your devices and system needed to be charged. you placed everything in its respective charging system and decided to step outside to your balcony.

the real world wasnt pretty though.

despite technology advances, the world was slowly crumbling to a standstill, and the countries thought that it would be a good idea to move everyone into the virtual world once they added more features and updated it enough that people could remain there, as there were almost no plants let in this world.

the earth was dying, the oceans almost dry. just last week they issued a new rule that only the upper class could purchase about 10 big bottles of water per month, while the middle and lower class only got 7 and 5 respectively. to be fair, 10 big bottles isnt even enough for a month, much less to say 7 and 5.

parents started deserting their children, and political issues as well as crime skyrocketed from the start of 2033, and people only cared about themselves. a few people remained loyal and good, however there were a few people that abandoned you — your parents were one of the selfish bunch, and in order to become "upper class" they had put you up for sale, which thankfully a good friend of yours managed to pay them the money before another shady person bought you.

so you lived with your friend now, who was upper class, so you got good privileged water - and not to mention good food , as the government limited that as well since animals were dying.

there was no clear air - it was pollution everywhere, and your little faction that you stayed in had a machine that generated oxygen, but not enough to grow any good plants or anything else. you people were barely getting by, and with the economy and business dropping like NASA's reputation, you werent sure what to expect anymore.

"y/n? are you out there?" your friend called out to you. he was always very caring of you, so he didnt want you sniffing the bad air outside despite the air being somewhat oxygenated. "how many times have i told you not to stand outside?" his tone was sharp yet soft, like he was scolding you but not angry.

he leaned against the rails next to you. there was silence for a while, then you spoke up. "i met the genshin characters today."

"no way, how was it like?" he asked, smiling. he was curious to hear how your experience was.

"i could smell them, you know, they were real."

"you and i have different views on real and not real," he said quietly. "they arent real, no matter how you believe them to be."

you decided not to say anything. he wasnt wrong, yet he wasnt right either - honestly what was the meaning of reality? what was real was what a person decides is real - they cant base it off a general thing, because to a child, his imaginary friend seems real - yet to you, these characters were real. you could touch them, you could feel them, smell them, talk to them, interact with them.

they were real.

"have you eaten yet?"

"no i went into genshin after i came home."

your friend sighed, giving you a pat on the shoulder. "eat when you feel like it alright? i've prepared some of yours in the kitchen. just dont go on an empty stomach."

"but i ate in genshin, i feel full — did i actually eat?"

"i dont have an answer to that doll, im sorry."

"do you have an answer to anything?"

your friend chuckled. "unfortunately no, and also, you still havent given me a name."

your friend wasn't exactly human - guess you forgot to really mention that. he was somewhat of an android designed by the government to initially serve humans, but just like that Detroit Become Human game, they gained a life and thought of their own and kinda made a mess. you didnt know all the details though, you just know your friend is an android, and you just always called him 'Friend'.

"you have a name."

"calling me 'friend' isn't exactly a name." he smiled.

you stared down at the people passing by, either on the phone or smoking. there were no in betweens , people just got worse and worse over the years. "i think its pretty cute."

"alright y/n, whatever you say," he smiled at you and went back inside. "remember to eat, and please dont stay outside too long alright? get some rest."

once he was gone, you felt alone again.

why were all the good people not deemed real by society.