|| The Third And The Guardians || Genshin AU ||

Chapter 1 (REMASTER)

Remember, the Traveler for this AU is gender neutral and their actual name is Ganymede.
(Read the description of the book for details.)

Traveler POV

Me (In Electro), Yelan, Sucrose, and Diluc we're trying to take down a screwed up leyline. And Diluc got a "new" (Technically old) outfit and decided to wear it for some reason while we took down the leyline.

(For those who are wondering Yelan is there-I would've put Mona, but this was the same patch as the Summer Fantasia Event so I couldn't for timeline puroses. Mona and the group stayed on Fantasia Island while the Traveler went back early because they heard of the leyline disorder and went back to help.)

Diluc and Yelan were working on main damage while I served as a battery and Sucrose swirled occasionally for the vape effect. Things were going smoothly-
almost too smoothly..

Diluc was in a sort of mood recently-and I don't mean like his usual moody self. I mean he seemed to be short-tempered, arguing a lot more and seemed a bit more troublesome as he reminded me of my younger siblings.

The whole reason I'm even fighting..

Yelan decided to try and talk to him about it while she shot down a hilichurl dead in the mask.

"Heya angsty, what's got you in such a mood?"
Yelan smirked as she raised a brow, looking at Diluc that was behind her before activating her skill and applying Hydro to everything.

Diluc rolled his eyes as he sighed while using his skill as well.
"Don't call me that, gambler. I suppose I'm just reminiscing and the nostalgia is getting to me, that's all."

"Uhuh..whatever you say, angsty."
Yelan shrugged, chuckling as she fired of a charged arrow.

Diluc scoffed and was about to say something when Sucrose intervened while she swirled Hydro.
"C-can you two please stop?...You're c-constant arguing i-is not helping us..!"

"Sucrose is right-Diluc, I get you're nostalgic and all snd that is fine, but you've been letting Yelan get under your skin more than Kaeya has. Get it together."
I spoke as I took sacrificial sword and cut through a hilichurl before using my skill to hit a few more.

Diluc glanced over at me, surprised before thinking for a moment. He then nodded as a calm expression took place on him as he took a deep breath before initiating his burst and taking out the final wave.

Or so we thought.

The red leyline didn't go away, it instead went white-then black-and then a dark serpent that looked like one of Osial's many serpent heads cracked out of it like it shattered through a mirror as it roared.

"What in Barbatos is that?!"
Sucrose called out in pure fear, seemingly terrified by the giant serpent. Being honest here-I was too. This damn thing was the size of the Chasm serpent and here it was-just slithering almost over the beach line!

"Whatever it is, it doesn't seem like the one to talk things out!"
Yelan spoke, charging her bow before the serpent roared and a dark mist secreted from its scaled body.
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None of us could breathe-let alone be able to see.

We all dropped our weapons-coughing and wheezing as our lungs and bodies begged for air. None of us could move away though as we all hit the ground like flies-like the mist was an air toxin that stunned and suffocated its victims.

That's actually probably what it was. But it didn't matter.

I couldn't save my team...my head hit the sand as I began to black out..

No......not yet...please..
Lumine..Ae....ther...

Just then..the sound of a portal opened and someone or something pierced something dead through the serpent as it hissed in agony before the entity picked up our bodies and taking us to the grassland nearby and out of the mist.

Our bodies coughed and gasped for the open air as we all slipped into unconsciousness, eyes shutting as we heard the entity step towards us as the serpent hissed in the background. But one voice-the voice of our savior, could be heard..

"Even after 500 years, you humans never change....I can't say that more anything else...oh sister.."

Then..a quiet sob of anguish was heard before they ran off and I slipped out..