Work Text:
The Dream Yet to be Dreamed
The original calamity had been overturned, yet the island in the sky set the earth to burn. Chalk pursues gold, in this time inopportune, the eclipse is swallowed by the crimson moon.
There were two great kingdoms in the distant past, a glorious kingdom established among the heavens and the Kingdom of Darkness in the deep Abyss. The kingdom in the heavens is home to the gods and it is said that only mortals who perform great, heroic acts can ascend to Celestia and achieve godhood where they watch over their people from above. The kingdom of the Abyss was a nation of sinners.
Khaenri'ah was a nation without a god — not because it had a god that died or abandoned them, but because it never had a god to begin with. It was a powerful nation, built purely by humans, an unprecedented flourishing and glorious civilization — it was the pride of humankind.
When Khaenri'ah was destroyed, a great sinner created endless monsters with alien, dark blood flowing through their veins.
When monsters from the abyss invaded the above-ground land of Teyvat only then did The Seven gods of the nations intervene.
War and destruction raged across the nations, engulfing the lands in worldwide darkness.
After the great kingdom fell a curse was bestowed upon its people by Celestia. Celestia seems to have created a greater punishment for those deemed unworthy.
The “Twilight Sword”- someone who could have saved the world from this cataclysm, failed to protect the people of Khaenri’ah, was cursed with immortality, wandering, and forced to watch the people he was meant to protect turn into vicious bloodthirsty monsters of the abyss.
This great sinner was once an alchemist named Gold, but for those closest to them- Rhinedottir.
Driven by their greed and ambition they sought to create the Philosopher’s stone, symbolizing perfection at its finest, enlightenment, and heavenly bliss.
The Philosopher's stone is sought after by many, however nearly impossible to obtain, the stone is created by the alchemical method Magnum Opus, the majority of the process itself is simple however the most essential steps are quite tedious. Nigredo, Albedo, Citrinitas, and Rubedo.
Nigredo- “blackness” means putrefaction or decomposition and represents spiritual death. All alchemical ingredients are to be cleansed and cooked intensively into a uniform black matter. Nigredo was a black serpentine dragon that rose from the sea to cast its shadow over the lands.
This dragon- Durin trampled the nation of Mondstadt and attacked the nation's ruler. Durin was slain by the might of its god and serving dragon, the Anemo Archon-Barbatos and Dvalin. Durin’s corpse fell over the mountain of Vindagnyr in Wyrmrest Valley, which is now the snowy mountain of Dragonspine. The poisonous blood that flowed within Durin's veins contained power from the Abyss. The blood flows deep and now poisons the land.
Albedo is the whiteness or purification to wash away the impurities from the stage of Nigredo.
Albedo is a synthetic human, made of chalk given the nickname “Kreideprinz” meaning chalk prince by their master Gold.
Citrinitas “yellowness” stands for the dawning of the "solar light" inherent in one's being, and that the reflective "lunar or soul light" is no longer necessary.
Citrinitas is none other than the alchemist Gold herself, preceding and preparing for the fourth phase.
Rubedo's “redness” signals alchemical success and the end of the great work. Both gold and the philosopher's stone are associated with the color red. A phoenix, a rose, a crowned king, a figure cloaked in red, and blood are used to represent the redness.
Rhinedottir, you seem to have chosen the hardest way out. To you red represents all the blood that you spilled with the destruction of Khaenri’ah.
Chalk pursues Gold. It is said that a student follows in their master's footsteps. If one day I lose control and calamity is drawn across the lands, I hope that you- traveler from beyond this edge of the universe will be able to stop me. And Rhinedottir- my master, wherever you may be, we will be reunited.