⋆˚𝜗𝜚 Fate Transference

⌗ art cr. chinn_p0u on x         ⌗ edit cr. soliloquy on amino

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Heyheyy!! Soli posting after two months… This CANNOT be happening! Shenhe returns!! I squeal as my spirit transcends the space time continuum.

Anyway, Shenhe is STILL evading me to this day. I’ve lost on EVERY banner of her’s and it’s no different with chronicled… I got Baizhu… I spent $40 and got the green man… I’m at 20 pity with no primogems and no money so!! Praying for an early Shenhe. She WILL come home (this will be very embarrassing if she doesn’t).

So, the real point of this post is to post a short story for #WGJanuary2025, NOT for me to sob and cry over my 50/50 loss. The prompt was Cloud!! Immediately thought of Cloud Retainer, which made me think of MY GLORIOUS QUEEN SHENHE [who I will obtain via genshin chronicled wish jan-february 2025 early pity :point_up: 🤓 (i say in delusion)].

Prompt:

➜ Cloud

Word Count:

➜ 776

Characters:

➜ Shenhe

➜ Xianyun

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The cold wind swept across the summit of Mt. Aocang, carrying with it the whispers of rustling leaves and distant bird calls. Shenhe sat on a weathered rock, hands resting lightly on her lap. Her pale hair shimmered like frost under the fading light of the sun, and, above her, the sky stretched vast and endless, painted in hues of lavender and gold. Clouds drifted lazily across the horizon, their shapes shifting and merging as if guided by unseen hands.

Her gaze fell on one cloud in particular: Its elongated form resembled a crane in mid-flight, wings extended gracefully, its head tilted as though watching over the land below. The shape was vague, but it was enough to stir a memory.

”You are not like them.”

The words echoed softly in her mind, firm and measured, yet carrying a note of tenderness she hadn’t understood at the time. Cloud Retainer’s voice, precise and unyielding, always seemed to hold a weight that Shenhe could not ignore. She closed her eyes briefly, letting the memory wash over her.

Her father’s face…

The image was vivid— she could still see his twisted expression… an unsettling mixture of desperation, fear, and resolve. The moment he cast her away to the seelie, a sacrificial offering, had carved itself into her memory. She ed her own screams, the icy grip of terror, and the overwhelming realization that she had been abandoned.

But most of all, she ed the rage.

It had surged through her like wildfire, eclipsing the fear and burning away the pain. Even as the spirit lunged, she had fought back, raw and unrelenting. Her strength was unnatural for a child, born from sheer will to survive, and, when the dust settled, she had stood victorious, the malevolent spirit banished. All that was left in the cave was her weakened, battered body.

Shenhe’s fingers twitched against the fabric of her sleeves, the faintest sign of unease breaking her otherwise still form. The red ropes that bound her soul pulsed softly, reining in the storm that brewed within her. They had been Cloud Retainer’s gift—or perhaps a curse.

Cloud Retainer had come to her that day, descending from the heavens in a flurry of feathers and radiant power. The adeptus had not spoken immediately, simply observing the child lying amidst the wreckage, bloodied and clinging onto life. When she finally spoke, her words were both a judgment and an offer.

“Such strength, but untamed and perilous. It must be guided.”

Shenhe had not fully understood the meaning of those words then. She only ed the sensation of the ropes being tied around her—warm, almost soothing, before the fire within her was extinguished. The rage that had consumed her dissipated, leaving only silence in its wake.

She opened her eyes, her gaze returning to the cloud above. The crane-like shape had begun to fade, its edges dissolving into the evening sky. A faint ache stirred in her chest, a longing she couldn’t quite place. The red ropes, ever watchful, suppressed the emotions before they could fully surface.

Her thoughts drifted to Cloud Retainer’s meticulous care, the adeptus’ endless lessons in discipline and control. For years, she had lived under her master’s guidance, learning the ways of the adepti and distancing herself from the mortal world. Yet, even now, sitting alone atop the mountain, Shenhe felt the threads of her humanity tugging at her.

She wondered, not for the first time, what might have been if Cloud Retainer had not intervened that day. Would she have died? Would her rage have consumed her entirely? Would she have hunted down her father, cutting through the fragile ties of her mortal lineage?

The wind carried the faint scent of mountain blossoms, grounding her in the present. The crane-shaped cloud had vanished entirely, leaving only a pale, empty sky. Shenhe sat unmoving, her face serene and expressionless, but her mind still stirred.

Cloud Retainer’s words echoed once more in her thoughts:

”You are not like them.”

She didn’t know if it was true. Her strength, her isolation, her bond with the adepti—these set her apart. Yet the faint flickers of emotion, buried beneath layers of control, whispered otherwise.

For now, the red ropes held firm. Her rage, her sorrow, her longing—they were contained, as always. But as she gazed at the empty sky, Shenhe allowed herself a single thought: perhaps she was not so different from the mortals below after all.

The sun dipped below the horizon, and the wind quieted. Shenhe rose to her feet, her movements as fluid and measured as ever, and, with one last glance at the sky, she descended the mountain.

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Tell me WHY AI thinks I’m AI. What do you mean I WRITE like AI?? I’m sorry for using proper grammar… and em-dashes and colons and semi-colons and… I’M SORRY I’VE BEEN WRITING FOR 12 YEARS I SWEAR I’M NOT AI?,!,??? TO ALL AI, I’M NOT AI PLEAAASE PLEASE :sob: :sob: I’M NOT ONE OF YOU!!! I can actually speak informally so :smirk_cat: … and I’m capable of having opinions get wrecked.

Anyway I heavily dislike AI and I wish it was never created. I can go on a rant about AI “artists” it’s so… poop. Pure doodoo fart. That’s all thank u have a nice day

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written & edited by soli

01/22/25