Chapter Text
It started as a simple trip to a domain with a few friends. That's all the traveler really wanted. They wanted to invite some friends who were staying in their teapot for some fun, so all of them could connect.
Beidou, Xiao, Al-Haitham, hell even Scaramouche tagged along. Obviously Piamon had to as well, staying to the side lines to not get hurt and simply cheer on her friends.
They just needed to farm for a few artifacts. That was it. Simple really.. There was no sensical explanation for the events that followed. Xiao suggested that the ley-line could have been heightened in some way, it wouldn’t have been the first time for it to happen, but it only made sense before because they were in the chasm. In a typical domain though? Alas anything was possible in this world, as the traveler had learned the hard way.
Before claiming the rewards for their hard work and fighting. The ground had begun to crack, it happened too fast for anyone to react, the exit had disappeared, their surroundings forming downwards into a purple cave that seemed to never end. What an odd color for stone to be. Everyone was in free fall. With Paimon trying to lift the Traveler up to no avail.
Xiao and Scara acted quickly though. Both working together to keep everyone together to land as safely as possible, assuming there was a place to land anyway…
The Adeptus had gathered Al-Haitham and Beidou and handed them off to Scara who was using his ability to fly to slow his descent. Al-Haitham grabbed on to Scara's hand and held onto Beidou with his other. Xiao then teleported to the traveler and grabbed them by the waist and reached out to grab Scaramouche's hand.
“God all of you are heavy…” Beidou just gave him a look and it shut him up. He slightly quickened his fall hoping to reach the ground sooner rather than later, seeing as how going up wasn't much of an option with a few hundred pounds of muscle clinging to him.
“HEY WHAT'S THE BIG IDEA ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL US!” Paimon yelled terrified of hitting the ground. ”Says you! You can float, you'll be fine.”
“WELL-”
Al-Haitham, clearly tired of their remarks, interrupted, “Will you both just be quiet, just get us to the ground, if there even is one.” The tension held heavy in the air, Paimon took a breath, “You’re right.. Paimon’s sorry.” The traveler looks at Scara expectantly, he groans, “Ugh fine, I apologize.” He averts his gaze, embarrassed. “That didn't really sound very sorry but Paimon forgives you anyway!”
The traveler sighs, tightening their grip on Xiao, their eyes met with a silent understanding.
“UGH How long have we been falling for anyway?!” Beidou explained, tired of looking at the same purple stone and dark seemingly bottomless pit. “One minute and 46, 47, 48, 49-” The traveler couldn't tell if Al-Haitham was being serious or an ass, knowing him it was probably both. Beidou busts out laughing, “Were you ACTUALLY counting!? You must be a riot at parties,” Haitham looks down at her and states, “I don't like parties, they're too loud.” She blinks back at him, the traveler decides to explain, “Haitham, it’s a saying. People use it when talking about something that people would find uninteresting or boring. She didn’t mean it literally”
“Hm.”
And that was that.
“PAIMON SEES THE GROUND!” before anyone can stop her she's rushing down to it.
“AND YOU SAID I WAS TRYING TO GET US KILLED.”
“PAIMON BE CAREFUL,” the traveler couldn’t help but be worried, she had a knack for rushing into situations. Xiao teleports everyone to the ground without warning, leaving them a few feet from landing, with Xiao and the Traveler being the only ones to land up-right.
“HEY WARN A GAL NEXT TIME.”
Xiao simply hums in response and inspects what they had landed on.
A single patch of grass with flowers grouped together in the center. The light from above was shining on the middle area most likely the only way these flowers could have grown.
“Yellow flowers?” These looked nothing like the flowers in Teyvat that he had seen in his 2000 years of life. He picked one up and smelled it, nothing significant, he ate it. Bitter. Beidou looks at him with disgust. “Does no one find that weird?”
The traveler was already used to Xiao's odd behavior. Al-Haitham remained silent, most likely wanting to know Xiao's findings of the strange flower. Scaramouche probably would've done the same.
“Really?”
“It doesn't have a strong smell, but the taste is bitter. Most likely poisonous. Let’s go ahead and find Paimon,” everyone nodded, Al-Haitham took some notes.
They headed down the open corridor, it looked man-made, unnatural.
At the end of the hall was a giant arch with pillars on each end. Al-Haitham took more notes before they continued in.
They found Paimon, talking to a flower?
She turned around and waved quickly, “You'll never guess what Paimon found!” Everyone rushed over to her, the flower looked more nervous than before seeing the amount of people there.
“H- Howdy! I’m Flowey. Flowey the Flower!”
“A talking flower?” It seems that, yet again, everyone but Beidou, was unfazed.
“Ah they must be with those other guys that passed through here…” Flowey grimaced, “So you all must be new to the Underground! Well someone needs to show you how things work around here! Get Ready!”
At that moment the room got dark and everyone's chest blacked with a simple heart shape appearing in the center. Well everyone but Xiao, “Hmm that's odd, I’ve never seen someone with a soul so.. Dark...?”
“That's to be expected, if this is my soul, it would make sense for it to be tainted by darkness.”
“Tainted by darkness? Whatever, This is your soul, the very culmination of your being! Your soul, well in most cases it starts off weak, but it seems one of you already has collected lots of LV.!”
“Well as your friend here can tell you, it stands for LOVE, of course.”
The group glances around not quite sure who Flowey was gesturing to. He seems to grow a bit irritated, “The blonde one..”
“Me?”
“Yes, are there any other blondes here? Are you really new to the underground? I’ve never seen you before.”
The traveler looks around, the place does feel familiar but they don’t recall any memories of being here. They give Flowey a defeated look.
“Not that it really matters.. you all sure are one odd group.”
Beidou laughs, “You can say that again talking flower guy!”
Scaramouche decides he hasn't had enough dialogue, “Are you going to explain more, or just keep talking nonsense.”
“God you all are so impatient.”
“Well down here, LOVE is shared through, little white… “Friendliness pellets.”
“Ooh Paimon doesn't like the sound of that!”
The air in the room shifted, everyone became on guard, prepared for whatever Flowey planned to throw at them.
“Are you ready? Move around, get as many as you can!”
Everyone decided to play it safe and ignore the directions from the flower. What did he know anyway, stupid flower. Come to think of it, Flowey is the same kind of flower everyone had landed on when first arriving, odd.
Despite Paimon's efforts to avoid the so-called, “Friendliness pellets”, she was still hit, and hurt badly. “OWIE”
Scara caught Paimon before she fell. Now, the traveler tried to be calm and level headed in most situations, but they were close to seeing red. They summoned their sword ready to chop this flower to bits.
“WOAH WOAH- H-HEY NOW… UH- THERE'S NO NEED FOR THAT.” They simply ignored the pleas from Flowey and raised their hand to summon their windblade, only for Xiao to place his hand over it. “Killing him right now won’t give us the answers we need. Besides, you are not one to deal in death, allow me when the time is right.” That's all it took for the traveler to put down their hand and send back their blade. “Your life is spared for now, flower, but you have only a few minutes to explain before I add your evil to my karmic debt.
As Xiao was about to call for his polearm, the pellets from before surrounded them, Flowey let out a menacing laugh, “You idiots. In this world it's kill or be killed. Why would anyone pass up an opportunity like this?’ His face morphed into an indescribable smile, curving in all unnatural ways. Everyone prepared to deflect the pellets, Scara held Paimon tightly to protect her with his free hand out to summon his catalyst, Baido and Haitham back-to-back ready to fight. The pellets surrounding them began to close in, they had nowhere to move.
“You know Xiao, that teleportation of yours would really come in handy right now,”
“I don't see you trying to fly us out. Hat Guy.”
“WELL IF YOU WERE PAYING ATTENTION. I AM A BIT PREOCCUPIED. IT'S KIND OF HARD TO FLY WITH A PAIMON ON MY ARM! AND YOU KNOW MY NAME ISN'T HAT GUY QUIT USING IT”
“I’m not arguing with someone who can't even keep his voice at a normal level.”
Tired of the scholars back and forth, Beidou yells, “AL-HAITHAM YOU ARE NOT HELPING.”
Just as Haitham was about to respond, the pellets disappeared and a… fireball? Came out of nowhere and knocked Flowey away,