#ashvin

Training is important. Ashvin and Inanna knew this. It had been drilled into their heads by the time they were old enough to comprehend the words. They were useless if they weren’t strong, if they showed a moment of weakness. If they showed any emotion at all.

Currently, they were both covered in minor scratches, standing across the training room from each other. Ashvin, heir apparent, watched her with hesitance, feeling his father’s glare bore into his skull.

Kill her, Orriande’s words echoed, prove you’re strong enough to be King, that nothing would limit you. It was a perfect opportunity. She had been beaten earlier in the day, and was weak and injured. He could pounce on her and snuff the life out of her with his paw, all while she wouldn’t know what was going on until she was already dying.

“I’m taking a break.” Ashvin’s words are punctuated by him simply walking away from the training cave, out into the early morning air. He had barely been training that day.

Orriande cast a glare to his daughter. “Stay here.” With that, he stomps out after Ashvin, watching as the adolescent simply walks through the field that makes up their home. “Ashvin!”

The young prince simply stops in his tracks, but he doesn’t turn around to face Orriande. “Yes, father?”

“What do you think you’re doing? Is it your goal to make an embarrassment of our pride?” Every single word is spoken with an accusatory jab. Orriande walks closer, until he’s inches away from his son’s face. Ashvin squares his jaw, focusing on the king’s eyes. “Answer me!”

“No, father. I’m not trying to embarrass our people or you.”

He narrows his eyes. “Then do what I tell you. One, small thing is separating you from your destiny, your purpose. Why are you hesitating?”

Ashvin can already imagine Inanna’s terrified eyes as he pins her down. He can imagine the sputtering attempt for her to convince him not to go through with it. “I won’t kill her.” The sheer determination in his eyes made Orriande huff in anger. “I won’t be like you.”

“I ask you to do one thing… and you can’t even do that! One damn thing, Ashvin!” Ashvin looks away, not wanting to deal with his father’s rage. The shouting brings annoyed lionesses out of their caves and various hiding places, and they watch in awe at the young prince.

He doesn’t speak, not for a long time. “I said I won’t do it!” His loud shout is punctuated by a heavy slap, tearing into fur and skin. Orriande roars in shock, but he kicks nearby dirt up, blinding his son. Ashvin shuts his eyes, crying out in the sheer surprise of Orriande fighting back. The king raises his paw, slamming it into the side of Ashvin’s face. He does it again, giving him a smack on the neck, pinning the prince down-

“Enough!” A lioness, named Athena, one of many who raised the prince, steps forward, covering the young adolescent with her body. “You’ve done enough.”

She could see the anger spread across his face at her disobedience. “Move and let me finish the job!” Orriande’s voice is more of a growl than it is a sentence, but Athena sets her jaw, glaring down at the king.

“You’ll have to get through me, first.” At her words, Orriande roars, right in her face, but all she does is narrow her eyes. He turns around, going back to the training room that Inanna was now staring out of, her jaw slack and eyes wide.

technically, it’s still aether, he just shares a body with a strange spirit that came to him in his dreams (after losing his sister and before meeting paimon), asking if they could fuse to explore the odd new world of teyvat together. aether, finding the spirit to be very handsome, accepted.

when he woke, his appearance had changed to align more with the spirit’s, who turned out to be a powerful “sorcerer” who could use magic without a vision or attunement with the gods.

the spirit’s name is “ashvin,” though from dreams aether suspects that’s not his real name. he’s a peculiar fellow who is fascinated with gods, magic, and alchemy, with a penchant for being very casual with everyone he meets and always having a friendly smile on his face.

when aether is in control of the body, the jewel and eyes are gold; when ashvin is, they are red. if ashvin is upset, the hair turns shock white, the gold of their outfit goes silver with the rich brown tones going black.

99% of the time, aether is in control, the 1% is only if ashvin believes they are in danger or if they’re completely alone.

aether has found that ashvin is eerily skilled in hand-to-hand combat and almost every weapon he can get his hands on, being the most skilled with a staff.

ashvin, meanwhile, is working on a way to make the transformation a bit cleaner so he can have his original form back, and aether can have his.

the only ones aware of ashvin’s existence, other than aether, are venti (who ashvin talked to one night in mondstadt, likely after venti lost his gnosis), and maybe mona, who sensed a strange light that was not in the sky before, until it vanished with a spark of red lightning. _

yes, ashvin is rajnikanta, kiran’s brother. i like putting my ocs into gacha games.