History repeats itself (a Genshin Impact OC insert)

Chapter 62 - the Ruin Guards origin

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As they continue to walk, Dainsleif walks ahead of the trio, as they intentionally leave some space between themselves and him to talk privately. "So... Paimon's wondering... why do you seem so... hostile - Is that the right word? - Towards Dainsleif?" Lyra sighs.

"it's complicated," she starts. "Really, really complicated. It's not that I don't trust him. I think there's quite a great deal of things I could tell him about. But it's not quite that simple. The history of the cataclysm is a heavy topic for me. I believe in a concept: everything has it's right time to be told. Simply, I think he is trustworthy, but it's not the right time to talk with him about the past."

Aether nods. "Kind of like after the Osail thing, where you only told the others about Liliang and Azure after defeating him, or Beisht, where you feigned ignorance with everyone else to us. It's because it wasn't the right time to tell, right?", he guesses.

Lyra chuckles, walking a bit faster to catch up to Dainsleif. "Right on the mora."

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"Over there! It's more Ruin Guards and Abyss mages," Paimon shouts. The travelling trio and Dainsleif approach them, but stay at a distance. "Dain was just saying how there ancient machines are from Khaenri'ah... So... did Khaenri'ah have a lot of ruins that needed to be guarded?", Paimon asks.

Dainsleif shakes his head. "No. 'Ruin Guard' is the name modern people have given these machines. No one called them that 500 years ago. These 'Ruin Guards' were known as 'Field Tillers' by the people of Khaenri'ah," he explains.

"'Field Tillers'? What a strange name," Paimon says puzzled. "So what's with the lethal weapons...?", Aether asks.

Lyra chuckles lightly with a distant look in her eyes. "Don't take the name too seriously now. The people of Khaenri'ah loved giving their weapons code names, the Field Tiller being no exception. 'The land is not to be tilled with farming tools, but rather to be fought for with steel and blood'. That's how they got their code name," she explains. Dainsleif merely looks at her with an unreadable expression.

"'fought for with steel and blood'? Well, that's an interesting way of understanding 'tilting'... Paimon doesn't think it's a very positive interpretation," the flying pixie comments.

"After the destruction of Khaenri'ah, these masterless 'Field Tillers' went completely out of control. They wandered aimlessly over the centuries, gradually spreading to every corner of Teyvat," Dain explains. "Perhaps resonating with the sorrow of other civilisations lost to time, they found their way to various ruins across the land, where they lie dormant."

Paimon frowns. "That sounds... so sad...", she mutters. "Wandering aimlessly for 500 years," Aether starts, "it seems... we should put an end to their suffering."

"Yeah... Paimon thinks you've been doing a real good job of that."

Dainsleif sighs. "Once you understand more, those details won't mean much to you. But no matter their past, all that remains of them now is the danger they pose... so destroy them all," he states, looking at the enemies ahead.

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