𝐅𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐗𝐢𝐚𝐨 ―𝐠. 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭

20 || A God's Birth

Contrary to common belief, not all gods are born as gods. There are some who are manifested out of mortal prayers, and there are some who received powers from other circumstances. You, the God of Medicine, were born as such; you were not born as a god or as a spirit such as Barbatos--no, you were born as something much simpler.

You were born as a flower.

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"Hey, the flowers bloomed!" You awakened so suddenly to the sweet voice of a young child, completely unaware of your surroundings. Who were you? Where were you? What were you?

Before you could process anything about your abrupt consciousness, something cold fell onto you, and your entire body shook from the weight of the droplets. As soon as the water slipped down what you felt to be your face, your vision cleared.

And you saw the most beautiful smile in the world.

Maybe it was because it was the first ever smile you've seen, or maybe it was your newborn vision still adjusting at the moment, but to you, it didn't matter. To you, that child's smile was shining and mesmerizing rightfully so, their pearly white teeth showing from ear to ear, their eyes creased and their cheeks tinted rose.

With an adorable giggle, they said, "Well, you must like the water...your petals opened up more!" Then they walked away to tend to the rest of the garden, leaving you standing amid the other flowers.

The child, you learned later, was the person that grew you and all the other flowers in the garden. They came every day to check up on each and every one, smiling brighter than the sun at the progress of your growth. They had a little journal they kept on them, and sometimes they would spend a handful of minutes sitting in front of you, sketching you every week.

"It's like a doctor taking notes," they remarked.

On occasion, they would say, "So pretty," as they brushed their pen against your petals. "You all are so pretty. I'm so happy that you're growing up well."

When the child would say this, there would be a sad smile on their face. You, being a simple flower, couldn't ask what was wrong, but it pained you to see them like this. Just what could take away their happiness? Could you do anything for them? They seemed happy seeing you bloom. If you grew to be the prettiest flower in the world, would it make them happy? With this new-found determination, you tried your best to grow with all the time you had.

Hours turned into days and days into weeks. Through it all, you learned many things when the child would talk to you; you learned that you were in a world called Teyvat, that they were a child of a noble in Liyue, that the small garden was their only sanctuary, and that you were a flower—specifically a (favorite flower).

Sometimes, they would lean in closer to you and whisper that you were their favorite out of all the plants they were growing. You would feel the warmth of pride when this happened. It felt different from the sunlight. In a good way.

Other times, the child would lay in the grass bed next to you, muttering, "I wish I could grow up too."

Weeks turned into months. The weather was getting colder and the wind blew harsher, sometimes jeopardizing your stem. Some of the flowers were already wilting, less vibrant and limp at the change in time, and the child would simply sit and stare at the greying sky.