#tatarasuna

Kabukimono's Tales of Tatarasuna (part 2)

Posting this on tumblr. This series was first posted on twitter and IG since January 2023.

The people of Tatarasuna taught him many things...

Obviously, Nagamasa and his entourage can’t spend the whole day everyday pestering MC to move into Tatarasuna to work for their infirmary; but whenever someone runs into the “nameless apothecary” while out inspecting or transporting cargo and whatnot, the offer always comes up no matter how many times it’s been rejected.

Really, even without being loyal to the Shogun, MC consistently saying no every single time is mind-boggling. The pay is good, they’ll have very good social standing as a proper physician or even just as a very competent assistant to the quack, hell the Shogunate could probably pull a few strings to give MC some more training and better resources — so what gives??

Niwa’s the first one to actually broach the topic about why MC always refuses them.

It obviously has to do with the elephant in the room.

Let’s face it.

Not only is MC apparently not human, the resemblance between them and the Electro Archon is uncanny. Get MC to braid their hair and they could almost pass for a body double.

Almost. Their eyes could not be anymore different. Or maybe that’s Niwa and Nagamasa superimposing the image of a grumpy cat over MC’s face.

MC is also much shorter, but neither man is about to risk his kneecaps for saying that out loud.

Is it because they’re worried about being “recognized” by Shogunate officers and affiliates? Is there some kind of family dispute going on between MC and the Shogun? Are they estranged, maybe?

They don’t know. They might have to ask MC directly, and the latter has made it very clear that their “family” is a very touchy subject. (And they really don’t think it’s their place to pry into MC’s personal business, but they’re also a tad nosy.)

They play a round of rock-paper-scissors and Nagamasa loses.

Nagamasa: 🗿 (Oh, I don’t feel good about this…)

Niwa: 😉 “I’ll leave you to it, sir~!”

Now Nagamasa is loitering at the domain entrance to the Shakkei Pavilion, trying to figure out how to announce himself; and MC shows up right behind him.

Wanderer!MC: “…Why are you here.” 😑

Nagamasa: 😶 “…”

Wanderer!MC: 😒 “…”

Nagamasa: *sweating* 👀💦 “Ahem… Um, tea?”

Wanderer!MC: 🤨 “You came all this way and even found where I live…just for tea?”

Nagamasa: (Is it so strange to just want to chat with a neighbor over tea?)

Nagamasa: “At my quarters. Just the two of us.”

Wanderer!MC: 😦 “Pardon…? Just the two of us? In your quarters?”

Nagamasa: 💀 (Whyyyyyyyyyyyyy did I say it like that I sound like a stalker they definitely think I’m weird and creepy now—) “I just want to know a little more about you. Many are curious about the ‘nameless apothecary’ of Kannazuka, and I’m honestly no different.” (Yes, that sounds reasonable enough and it’s also true.)

Wanderer!MC: “Well, not to ruin whatever you and the others might be imagining, but I really am nothing special. Now, if you would please.”

Nagamasa: 🫠 (I take it that’s a no…?)

Yeah, MC is hell-bent on keeping to themself and not saying a damn thing; so Nagamasa goes back empty-handed and the crew agrees to leave it at that. No sense in wasting everybody’s time on a fruitless pursuit.

But then an outbreak happens and one of the kids manages to sneak away from home so they can find the apothecary to treat their mom.

And…well, 1. It’s not like MC can refuse a crying child with a sick mother.

And 2. If this is going to be a regular occurrence with the Mikage Furnace, then it may be easier to just move in after all.

Wanderer!MC: 😮‍💨 “Guess I’m here for keeps.”

Blacksmiths and miners: 🙇🙇‍♀️🙇‍♂️ “THANK YOU FOR YOUR HARD WORK!!”

And the kid who brought MC back to Tatarasuna is treated to lots of expensive sweets and candies, though they don’t really understand why.

Oh boy, I can't wait for Wanderer!MC to let it slip about their 'family' situation, if one can call it that...

But sides that, oh goodness, this whole thing was a treat! Poor Nagamasa can't win, can he? He tried everything, so what do you mean they could've gotten their doctor much earlier if they sent in a kid to ask instead?!

I think this would only further charm the people of Tatarasuna, because it further shows this grumpy cat of a person had a soft heart under all that grouchiness.

Like-

The story teaser about the puppet soldier is just a parallel to what happened to Niwa. A heart has been born from ashes, in which the case of Niwa, Dottore pluck out his heart and gave it to Scaramouche, really twisted and dark.

Summary: When Katsuragi brings a puppet back to Tatarasuna, saying that he found him wandering the shores, the village and blade smiths took him in as their own. Something about the puppet struck a young girl's heart. Despite him not having a heart of his own, the puppet felt something that would seem to be impossible for someone like him to feel. 

Pairings: Scaramouche x f!reader

or, We Have the Raiden Gokaden Downfall All Wrong Part 3 AND a Part 2 to this post.

Hello. I have returned. Here is a quick and dirty theory of how the plundered Rather Aged Notes of Tatarasuna, the attempted robbery of the warehouse containing the Kaedehara Clan’s belongings, and the “secret” Haypasia saw through her connection to Scaramouche’s consciousness are all related incidents pertaining to the same secret.

SPOILERS: The latest Sumeru Archon Quest! MAJORLY! Please don’t read before you finish it in its entirety!

Wanderer & Nahida, Platonic [Angst, Hurt/Comfort]

Summary: [Jan 3, 2553 Hello, world I am Kunikuzushi, a robot made by a researcher named Raiden Ei. I am made with the purpose of pursuing eternity by recording the history of the world.] A series of electronic journal entries telling the journey of a robot, of joy and grief, as he met different people and went from being an artificial being to becoming a human-like robot with emotions. ============================== “Rukkha, I’d like to ask, what does it mean to live?” “The answer to that is something you need to find yourself in order for it to be a ‘true answer’.” “...I don’t understand.” “You will someday.”

Jan 3, 2553

Hello, world

I am Kunikuzushi, a robot made by a researcher named Raiden Ei. I am made with the purpose of pursuing eternity by preserving the history of the world. Following the task I have been given, I will proceed in recording events in this electronic journal.

Log 1:

On December 31, 2033, a war broke out between the inhabitants of a planet called Teyvat and those from Celestia, a galaxy with the coordinates 45.9703, -118.2472.

As an AI made at the time after the war, I am not able to retrieve earlier records aside from what my creator has given me. But here is the data stored in my database:

“The old Teyvat was described as a bountiful planet with beautiful landscapes and was composed of mountains, valleys, rivers, oceans, deserts, and underground caves. Its citizens were capable of wielding seven elements namely: anemo, geo, electro, dendro, hydro, pyro, and cryo. This unique ability was utilized to maximize an individual’s potential through amplifiers called visions, which was an ancient technology produced by Celestia and regulated by the leader presiding over each element called archons.”

[Searching database for ‘Celestia’ and ‘Celestial War’]

[Match found]

[Compiling search results]

Celestia oversees the progress of nations and vision holders in Teyvat, as well as enforcing order throughout the land. Teyvat and Celestia co-existed until a dispute and the destruction of a nation called Khaenri’ah caused the Celestial War that killed millions from both sides. Celestia retreated and surrendered control over Teyvat. However, the planet sustained extensive damage and its iconic landscapes were turned into barren wastelands. Survivors grouped together and created camps from ruined cities, scavenged items for daily necessities such as food and clothes, and fought monsters that remained in the land.

Log 2:

A decade after the war, a few cities, considered as the last bastions of humanity, thrived in terms of technological advancements, and a prosperous Teyvat emerged after a decade. My creator, Raiden Ei, is from a nation named Inazuma. She is a descendant of an archon and well-known researcher who created me in the image of her sister who died saving her from a monster ambush. My creator aimed to preserve her memories of her and of the past, creating an ‘eternity’ by recording history.

On the third of January 2553, Raiden Ei completed her 99th prototype, a robot which she named Kunikuzushi.

September 16, 2554

Log 1:

Raiden Ei passed away peacefully in her sleep. I am incapable of stating the cause of her death for she told me not to record it, but she did let me save this message in my memory:

“Go out and see the world with your eyes, record your own story, and live our life how you want it to be.”

As per her request, I buried my creator’s remains beside the Great Sakura Tree, where her sister also laid. As I stared at the two graves next to each other, I experienced a minor malfunction. There was something wet on my face and my optical units went blurry as I walked away from the tree.

September 17, 2554

I have broken down my creator’s final words in three primary tasks and aligned them to my original purpose.

Task 1: Wander around the world

Task 2: Record events in an electronic journal

Task 3: Live

The third task remains obscure. As an artificial intelligence, I am not alive and incapable of living. Sub-task has been created for this, which is to ‘understand what living means’.

To fulfill all these, I left the Shakkei research facility and commenced my goal of traveling around the world starting by going to the areas beyond Inazuma City.

September 20, 2554

I have arrived in an island named Tatarasuna where the supplies of Crystal Marrows, a valuable source of energy for Inazuma, are mined. This is also where most weapons are forged through the knowledge of the last surviving blacksmiths who aim to preserve their legacy by teaching youths about the craft.

>>Accessing system command log

>> Subtasks created

Task 1: Observe the humans of Tatarasuna and gather intel on how they live

Progress: 0%

Task 2: Learn blacksmithing

Progress 0%

The humans welcomed me without noticing that I am a robot. My creator has taught me basic human functions I needed to know so I am able to blend well with the people in that island. According to my processor’s calculations, the probability of me progressing with my third primary task will increase if I stayed here, so I accepted the humans’ offer for accommodation.

October 20, 2554

Log 1:

[Generating monthly report…]

[Running task check…]

[2 active subtasks found]

       > Task 1: 23% completed

        > Task 2: 75% completed

One month has passed. I am still living with the humans of Tatarasuna. I have stored information about the citizens: their name, eye and hair color, facial features, height, occupation, and personality. Those who have shared their goals have also been recorded.

[Katsuragi: To forge a blade that will surpass the quality of his grandfather’s work

Nagamasa: To see a peaceful and prosperous Tatarasuna, to clear the reputation of his adoptive mother.

Niwa: to continue Isshin Art and be a good father.

A sick child with no name: to be healthier and explore the world.]

Log 2:

Today, I have forged my very first blade. I expressed my inability to create a perfect blade (due to insufficient data) but Niwa insisted that it does not have to be perfect. Listing it down as a secondary command, I did the task and mimicked the simple knife on a nearby shelf; a plain blade attached to a wooden handle. I showed it to Niwa, who smiled and ruffled my synthetic hair while commending my work. According to my database, he seems to be displaying a human emotion called happiness. He also explicitly said that he is proud of me.

I do not understand the implications of his words but replied with “thank you” as per protocol whenever I received a positive feedback. A malfunction occurred again. My lips smiled without direct command from my processor. I ran a diagnostic but no error has been detected.

November 30, 2554

The sick child kept following me. He greets me in the morning and walks with me as I picked lavender melons for him and the pregnant wife of Niwa. He also asked me to teach him how to read and write while we ate lunch on a field 75 steps away from the workshop.

He is full of energy despite having an illness. He will flash a toothy grin at me whenever he greets me in front of my small house. He looked confused when I used a research analysis as an example for our reading sessions and seemed to be happy after I changed my lesson materials into children’s stories. He also jumped up and down while smiling once I gave him a handmade doll, which I asked one of the villagers to teach me how to craft. Although he easily gets tired, he still insists on catching crystalflies with me before the sun sets.

December 30, 2554

The child moved into my house. He also started calling me brother and us as family. I said that we cannot be brothers for we are not related but he explained that you do not have to be biologically connected to be a family and that all that matters is that you love and care for each other. Such words are foreign concept to me so I asked him what love and care meant. He replied that it is when you feel comfortable with them and that you do not want to see them sad. You always want them to be happy.

>>System command to compare parameters with the received information

>>Checking…

[Parameters matched]

I told him he is family to me too.

The people of Tatarasuna as well.

March 12, 2555

The boy died. I have tried searching for a cure but his health deteriorated too fast during the winter season.

Earlier today, I was picking lavender melons and some herbs to try and create a nutritious soup but when I came back to our house, I found him on the floor. I shook him to wake him up but he did not. It was the same with his creator. He has no pulse. He was not breathing. I accessed the first aid module in me and tried reviving him but soon, people came through the door I forgot to close and told me to stop. He was gone, they said. They were right.

While they were taking him away, I checked my subtasks. One of them stood out.

Task: Watch the sakura trees bloom this coming spring with the boy

I looked at the budding flowers on the branches outside the window as the task dissolved away.

March 19, 2555

7 days have passed since the boy died. I now stand in front of his grave, under the shade of a sakura tree whose flowers are just days away from blooming, holding a small bouquet of flowers the same way I did after my mother creator died. I placed the flowers on the tombstone and walked away.

I went through my usual routine before the boy lived with me, which involves waking up from rest mode, picking fruits, helping with forging, and mining Crystal Marrows. From my memory logs, I can confirm that I am doing the right tasks and yet people kept asking me how I felt or if I needed a break. This confused me. First, I have no need to take breaks because my synthetic body gives me more stamina compared to living beings. Second, I am not capable of feeling because I am not human.

Yes…I am not supposed to feel anything.

But why is there a weird sensation in his chest and a sting in his optical units?

I logged the times this occurred and based on my records, this happens when I wake up in the morning, when I pass by the places I usually go to with the boy, when I visit his grave, and before I sleep at night. I ran diagnostics daily but no anomaly has been detected. Maybe my diagnostic tool is the one having an error…

…because how cannot detect the cause of this ache and the excess moisture on my eyes.

June 6, 2555

[Request for subtasks log]

[Generating…]

Task 1: Observe the humans of Tatarasuna and gather intel on how they live

             Progress: 100%

Task 2: Learn blacksmithing

             Progress: 100%

I have completed my subtasks in this island despite the persistence of the anomaly in me.

The people of Tatarasuna lived a simple life yet they looked happy. Concluding from the information I have gathered, it seems that “living” involves two important factors.

You need to have a family or someone you care about.

You do not need to have a lot of mora or material possessions but you need to find something that makes you happy.

All these are abstract and subjective things I have yet to fully understand.

>>Analyzing options to further investigate these concepts…

>> Analysis done.

Results:

          Option 1: Continue observing the people of Tatarasuna

          Option 2: Search other places for cross analysis of information

>>Selecting Option 2

>>Prioritization set to Option 2

This will align with my main task of wandering around the world and recording events. My mother once said that different cities and nations have different cultures and values. If I visit other places, I will be able to study other kinds of humans and their way of life.

June 7, 2555

I told Niwa and the others about my plan to leave Tatarasuna and travel around the world. They expressed concern over my wellbeing but eventually agreed. They spoke about missing me and asked to stay for a week before I depart for my next destination.

Strange. The thought of leaving them gave me a weird sensation.

June 13, 2555

One day before I am scheduled to leave Tatarasuna. It is sunny as usual and I am able to continue my daily routine. I was in the middle of completing a task of delivering newly made clothes to the outskirts of the village when an explosion happened on the other side of the mountain.

August 19, 2555

I was not able to leave Tatarasuna.

Another war broke out.

An organization, The Fatui, who turned out to be allied with Celestia commenced a plan to recapture Teyvat and take revenge for what happened in the Celestial War. Reorganizing my tasks and prioritization, I stayed in Tatarasuna to help Nagamasa come up with a plan to defend the island and its people. Combat functions were not specifically installed in me but I was able to learn through the soldiers who aided the island and from the retired ones, as well as the books I read before in my mother’s library. I helped in forging blades when the situation was calmer and made a weapon for myself; a sharper and more lethal version of the one I used for my sword dance with Niwa.

We were able to stave off the invaders and defeat the monsters who attacked us.

November 11, 2555

We were ambushed in the middle of the night. A large troop came and was led by a Fatui harbinger; a man with blue hair whose face was covered by a mask and wields a newer version of a vision, a delusion. The dead body of the front line’s defense general, Nagamasa. Niwa instructed me to save as many people as I could but before I could run to follow his command, the harbinger found us. We were overpowered.

I am the only one left standing after Niwa, who was severely injured, is thrown to the side by the harbinger. The damage I sustained during the battle exposed my broken components, revealing that I am not human.

Something ached in my chest again after realizing that my lie has been exposed.

I do not want Niwa to hate me.

Niwa is surprised but he told me that he still views me as family despite me being not human and not telling the truth to him.

I smiled.

The harbinger just laughed at us and mocked us for playing house with a mere object.

Was that what I simply am?

An object?

Yes, I am an object but I will fulfill the tasks I was given promise I made.

>>Creating urgent tasks

>>Tasks created manually

     Task 1: Defend Tatarasuna

     Task 2: Protect my family

I fought with the harbinger despite not being a combat-oriented unit. I calculated my every move and searched for a way to outwit the enemy but the odds of winning was only 0.03%. By the time dawn was approaching, a red warning was already flashing at the side of my vision.

WARNING: COMPONENTS COMPROMISED

DAMAGE SUSTAINED: 85%

I can barely move and static is beginning to fill my vision as my knees fall to the ground, the purple liquid equivalent to a human’s blood dripping down my exposed and severed wires and from my head down to my eyes, obscuring the warning on my visuals. I wiped the dampness away and looked up to see the harbinger lunge at me…

…only for Niwa to shield me from the blow.

Purple and red mixed together.

Genuine and synthetic eyes met.

“Why?” I asked.

“You’re human. You’re part of our family. Remember that.”

He pushed me down a low cliff, sending me falling to the dark sea.

The last thing I saw is the harbinger piercing Niwa’s chest and Tatarasuna burning to the ground before I plunged into the cold water of the Inazuman sea.

WARNING

SYSTEM ERROR

DAMAGE CRITICAL

TRYING TO REBOOT…

REBOOTING FAILED.

ENTERING FORCED SLEEP MODE–

?? ???, ???

SYSTEM REPAIR INITIATED

?? ???, ???

VITAL COMPONENTS REPAIRED

?? ???, ???

REPAIR COMPLETE

SYSTEM FILES RECOVERED

REBOOT COMMAND STARTED

SYSTEM CHECK…

              > Processor: OK

              > Motor Function: OK

              > Memory Logs: OK

              > ???: OK

READY FOR REBOOT

REBOOTING…

Hello, world

I am Kunikuzushi, a robot made by a researcher named Raiden Ei. I am made with the purpose of pursuing eternity by preserving the history of the world.

Task logs detected:

Ongoing tasks:

> Raiden Ei’s wish:

          Task 1: Wander around the world

          Task 2: Record each moment and events on an electric journal

          Task 3: Live

Other tasks:

          > [Deleted] Task: Watch the sakura trees bloom this coming spring with the boy

          > [Failed] Defend Tatarasuna and protect my family

I opened my eyes expecting to see a village in flames but instead, what I can see is a small room filled with soft green light.

> Searching database for location matches…

No result found

I sat up from the soft mattress beneath me, making the white blanket fall down to my lap. I blinked before I let my optical units scan my fingers, hands, arms, and legs, searching for any trace of damage but found none except for the faint scars that formed on my artificial skin. Looking around the place, I recognized some common items humans usually use such as a table, closet, cup, and a few traditional paper books. Just when I was about to get up to inspect more of my surroundings, the door swung open.

A woman clothed in a long white dress appeared from the doorway, her green eyes, which matched the highlights on her hair that runs up to the back of her knees, are fixed on me. She smiled at me. She seems happy to see me. She said that she has been waiting a long time for me to wake up after she rescued me from the shore and repaired me.

“I’ve been waiting for you.”

September 14, 2558

I have been asleep for 3 years after I fell from the cliff. The war has ended and although the connection from Celestia has been permanently severed, 80% of Teyvat has been destroyed.

The woman’s name is Rukkhadevata but we agreed that I will call her Rukkha and she will address me as Kuni.

Profile information:

Name: Rukkhadevata

Nation: Sumeru

Age: 200

Bio: (more information needed)

[Transcript audio record]

“I’m an archon guarding Sumeru…or what’s left of it. Do you know what an archon is?”

“According to my database, archons are revered to by the Old Teyvat as gods. They are capable of wielding elements and have been crucial to the survival of humanity during the first war. However, all of them died during the Celestial War.”

“Yet here I am, claiming to be one.” A giggle, “I can’t blame you for looking so surprised.” “Suprised? As an artificial being, I am not capable of such emotions.”

“And yet you feel. I saw your memory logs. Sorry for viewing them without permission. I need to check them to see if there is anything left damaged.”

“No need for an apology. Those files are not strictly confidential. Going back to what you said earlier, I would like to inquire more about it.”

“Sure. Let me ask you a question first. If given the circumstance that a casualty is unavoidable, if you have to pick between a single sickly old person and a group of young adults, who would you pick to save and why?”

“Considering life expectancy and being capable of helping in the restoration of Teyvat, it will be more beneficial to save the young adults.”

“I see. How about between the sickly child who lived with you and a group of healthy knights?”

“I…”

“You hesitated. By logical calculations, it will be wise to save the knights but you care about the boy more than a bunch of strangers. Care is a mix of love for a person and the fear of losing them. Both are emotions, and to have emotions is to be human.”

“But I cannot be a human. I am not an organic being.”

“True. You have wires instead of veins and you bleed purple instead of red. By physical attributes, you can never be classified as a human. But being a human is not having flesh and bone alone. To be human is to have humanity and that means having empathy and compassion. Itis to smile when you see the people you care about happy and in grieving when they die. The ache you felt when the boy died, that is grief.”

“...I see.”

“Kuni?”

“Yes?”

“You may not have a heart that beats but you have a soul that’s capable of feeling.”

September 15, 2558

Rukkha told me how she came to be. She was a genuine archon who was born when her predecessor, the original deity of Sumeru, had left a piece of her soul before she sacrificed herself for her people and died. However, the reincarnation created a new and separate entity and her abilities were reduced to only being able to make flowers bloom. She was locked away as a source of research, which was why it was presumed that all archons had perished, and was only freed during the eruption of the second war, the one started by the Fatui, after her nation was left ruined.

Today, Rukkha led me in front of an enormous tree named Irminsul and brought me inside its core, which was another tree but with blue inorganic-looking branches. She told me that it records the history of Teyvat. All information about people, monsters, and even robots, as well as historic events were all compiled in its leaves. But right now, after the last war that left Teyvat in ruins once more, all the tree’s leaves where all recordings were stored, had been lost. I can supply a tiny portion of my own records but we will need more to fully restore it.

[Transcript audio]

“That’s why I’ve been waiting for you, Kuni. When I was imprisoned, they asked me to connect with Irminsul. I wasn’t strong enough to establish a strong and long connection at that time but I managed to read one leaf. I saw the one capable of working with me in restoring the lost records…and someone who will be my friend. You.”

December 28, 2558

We left on a journey to restore Irminsul. Teyvat has been severely damaged, almost the same way described in my database during the aftermath of the first war, leaving us traveling through fallen cities and a handful of humans. With Rukkha’s ability combined with mine, we’re able to restore the projections of memories from different locations and we experienced them secondhand.

Jan 3, 2558

Rukkha made a small cake made with nuts as a birthday present for me. We ate it as she talked about the stars, seas, and mountains with excitement, which I think is the reason why the pastry tasted better.

After all, even the simplest of food can taste like luxury when with a friend.

June 10, 2558

The story of humans is a cycle of love and loss, of happiness and sorrow, of death and birth. As we explored all around Teyvat collecting memories, as Rukkha told me and showed me a wide range of emotions, I realized that life is bittersweet yet that made it beautiful. Even though flowers sprout in spring and fully bloom in summer then wilt in autumn and wither by winter, new ones are born in the next cycle of spring. Even though the sky lights up and sunrise becomes bright at noon, dims in the afternoon, and goes dark at night, it is still a masterpiece because it is able to paint different colors. Even though the lives of humans are fragile and are bound to end, just like how Rukkha viewed it, I find it beautiful.

[Transcription audio]

“Rukkha, I’d like to ask, what does it mean to live?”

“The answer to that is something you need to find yourself in order for it to be a ‘true answer’.”

“...I don’t understand.”

“You will someday.”

July 9, 2558

I should have noticed it sooner. When she mentioned that she saw a glimpse of me from the future, I should have realized it. Irminsul was only supposed to be recording the past and the present, not the future.

She has accessed the Forbidden Knowledge.

Apparently, the sages of Sumeru forced her to unlock pieces of information related to Forbidden Knowledge and now, she is suffering for things she never wanted. I feel agony. I feel rage towards those scholars who treated her like a tool and a stepping stone for their vain pursuit of knowledge.

It’s unfair. All she wants is to freely explore the world beyond her prison and to live like a normal human, yet she has been robbed of it. Now, she is dying because of Eleazar, which has no cure. She is kind, too kind. What has she done to deserve this kind of fate? It’s unfair.

I…I’m afraid. I don’t want her to die. I don’t want to lose her. I don’t want to grieve again for another family that I found.

Please…not again.

August 19, 2558

She smiles. Even as the black scales are eating away her body, even as the pain tormented her while I carried her on my back during our journey, she smiled.

October 27, 2558

She still smiles. As I cradled her in my arms in front of Irminsul, she was still smiling the same way she did when I first met her, when she tasted lavender melon, when she ran across a field chasing after a butterfly, and as she played on the water by the shore. Even though my chest feels like it’s being torn to shreds and tears fall from my eyes like a waterfall flowing towards the sea, she smiles. The corner of her lips are curled upward as she told me how human I’ve become and how happy she is to have met me; her companion in her journey to explore the world, a friend, a family.

She still smiles as she hands me one last gift before her eyes slid close.

“Thank you.” She whispered.

“Thank you.” I wrapped my arms around her.

May 17, 2568

Ten years have passed since Rukkha died. The ache was still there and I still see the ghosts of her smile and the journey we had as I continued my wandering across the world with her last gift tucked in my coat’s pocket.

Teyvat has rebuilt itself from the ashes of war even though it was still far from its former glory. People were starting to move on with their lives and I, too, had begun walking forward from grief and was currently traveling as a wandering historian who was sharing and recording the events in this planet while guarding Irminsul.

Life was not perfect, but it was better.

October 27, 2568

Rukkha’s last gift is a seed. Over time, it became a bud, growing little by little each day, until finally turned into a little twig. The tiny branch is now glowing and I am sitting beside it, waiting like it is an egg about to hatch.

What does it mean to live?

My mother wanted me to discover that.

I once asked Rukkha that question.

Now I understand what she meant by needing to find my own answer for it to become a true answer.

For a robot, to live is an impossible notion.

For a synthetic but human-like being, it is to love despite the inevitable loss. It is to admire the stars even though they will all disappear when morning comes. It is to welcome the warmth of having a family even though the fire will be extinguished by the cold snow of winter. It is to travel and see the world, to know the experiences and emotions that make humans laugh and cry, to treasure every moment, and to weave the story of others and yours into a colorful tapestry.

To live is to find your own answer,

And just like how the people of Tatarasuna and Rukkha guided him, he would do the same for this new life that was born.

“A name is life’s first gift and I’ll give it to you. From now on, your name will be Nahida.”

Jan 3, 2569

Hello, world