"Here! Here! I found one!" the young archaeologist yelled, gaining the attention of his colleagues.
"It seems to be another tablet recording one person's deeds," the young archaeologist said as his colleagues gathered around to see what he had dug up.
"It's him again… Why are there so many records about him, yet no one knows his name?" said an elderly man, presumably a senior researcher.
"And look… this time, it seems he has companions. That looks like—!!!"
His eyes widened in pure shock as the sheer absurdity carved into the stone tablet froze him in place.
"T-That…!" muttered another colleague as the cramped, damp cave's atmosphere seemed to drop several degrees.
"That's impossible…" another whispered.
"This has to be fake… Yes, this is simply not possible," said a stern man with authority, clearly the highest-ranking among them. Yet despite his composed tone, sweat trickled down his back as he stared at the stone tablet held by the junior archaeologist.
"We need to return immediately and hand this over to the authorities," he ordered, turning his back and beginning to walk away.
"Y-Yes, sir!" the junior replied, carefully securing the tablet in his arms.
The excavation team left the cave in uneasy silence.
No one spoke.
No one dared.
Because what they had seen carved into ancient stone should not exist.
The tablet was older than any known civilization in Teyvat—older than Mondstadt's earliest ruins, older than Liyue's oldest contracts, older even than the recorded beginning of the Archon War.
And yet…
The carving depicted all Seven Archons standing together.
Not as enemies.
Not as rivals.
But as companions.
And at the center of them
A man.
A figure whose face had been carefully chiseled away by time… or perhaps by something far more deliberate.
Inside the Akademiya's temporary research camp, the tablet was placed under bright examination lights.
Scholars gathered.
Historians argued.
Runic specialists translated the ancient script etched along the border.
One researcher suddenly froze.
"I… I translated a portion."
Everyone turned toward her.
Her voice trembled.
"It says… 'He who walked beside gods yet belonged to none.'"
Murmurs erupted across the room.
Another scholar continued reading aloud
'He stood with Barbatos before freedom had a name.'
'He advised Morax before contracts bound the land.'
'He fought beside Baal before eternity was chosen.'
'He debated with Wisdom and forge knowledge'
'He has the will even the law could not ignore'
'He danced with war and fire'
'He glanced at love that will never come'
Silence fell.
The implications were terrifying.
"If this is true…" one scholar whispered, "…then this person existed before the Seven became Archons."
The senior researcher shook his head.
"That's impossible. No mortal could survive the Archon War."
The translator swallowed hard and continued reading the final line.
Her hands trembled.
'When the world forgot him, history itself began to crumble.'
At that exact moment
Every light in the camp flickered.
Outside, the wind howled violently.
A distant bell rang somewhere across the ruins… though no bell tower existed nearby.
The junior archaeologist felt chills crawl up his spine.
For a brief second
He thought he saw someone standing behind the glass case.
A young man.
Watching.
Silent.
Familiar.
Then
Gone.
Only the stone tablet remained.
And for the first time in thousands of years…
Someone in Teyvat felt as if history itself was trying to remember.
"We need to bring this to the Akademiya immediately," said the junior archaeologist, his voice trembling with excitement as he carefully brushed the remaining sand from the stone tablet.
"You're right," the senior researcher replied, adjusting his glasses while studying the intricate carvings etched across its ancient surface. "This must be documented and properly analyzed. Findings like this could rewrite entire sections of Sumeru's recorded history."
Another researcher stepped closer, lowering her voice as she glanced around the excavation site.
"Handle it carefully. And keep this confidential. Until the Akademiya confirms its authenticity, no one outside this team should know what we've found."
The desert wind whispered across the ruins as the group hurriedly packed their equipment. Canvas bags were sealed, notes secured, and protective cloth was wrapped around the mysterious tablet.
Even beneath its coverings, faint golden symbols shimmered as though alive, pulsing softly against the fading sunlight.
As they prepared to depart for the Akademiya, unaware of being watched, a pair of golden eyes observed them from the shadows of a broken pillar not far from the excavation site.
The gaze was steady, calculating—focused not on the researchers themselves, but on the stone tablet they carried.
A faint breeze stirred the sand, briefly revealing a silhouette before swallowing it again.
Moments later, the group began their journey toward the city, their footsteps echoing against ancient stone pathways long forgotten by time.
Laughter and nervous speculation filled the air as they disappeared into the distance.
Behind them, the golden eyes vanished as well.
Only silence remained… and the unsettling feeling that the discovery had already drawn the attention of something far older than the Akademiya.
The journey back to Sumeru City was quiet.
Far quieter than it should have been.
Normally, discoveries sparked endless debate among scholars—arguments over translation methods, historical implications, or academic credit.
Yet this time, conversation died quickly whenever the wrapped tablet entered someone's peripheral vision.
It felt… wrong to speak loudly near it.
As if the stone itself listened.
The towering gates of Sumeru City opened before them, framed by massive roots of the Irminsul tree stretching into the heavens like veins of living history.
Merchants bustled.
Scholars hurried between lectures.
Students debated philosophy beneath shaded walkways.
Life continued normally.
And yet-
The moment the excavation team crossed into the city, several passersby paused briefly, turning their heads toward the covered tablet.
None knew why.
None remembered noticing anything unusual.
But each felt a fleeting sensation of déjà vu.
The group ascended the grand stairs leading into the Akademiya's central hall.
Light filtered through enormous glass panels, illuminating floating dendro constructs that silently cataloged knowledge.
Waiting for them at the top stood a tall figure dressed in refined Akademiya robes.
Grand Sage Azar.
His expression was calm, calculating, and faintly impatient.
"I was informed your expedition returned ahead of schedule," Azar said, folding his hands behind his back. "I assume the interruption to your research was… justified."
The senior researcher bowed slightly.
"Yes, Grand Sage. We discovered something that requires immediate academic review."
Azar's gaze shifted to the wrapped object.
"…I see."
Even before the cloth was removed, his eyes narrowed.
"Unveil it."
The protective cloth was slowly pulled away.
Golden symbols glowed faintly under the Akademiya lights.
Silence filled the chamber.
Azar stepped closer.
For a man known for unwavering composure, his reaction was subtle—but unmistakable.
His breathing paused.
His pupils shrank.
"…Impossible."
Carved into ancient stone stood seven divine figures.
Above each figure hovered an elemental
symbol:
Anemo
Geo
Electro
Hydro
Pyro
Cryo
Dendro
Each symbol had been etched with impossible precision, untouched by erosion despite the tablet's age.
But two figures stood out.
The central man-
His face had been deliberately shaved away.
And beside him…
The Dendro Archon's face had also been erased.
Azar's fingers hovered above the carving but never touched it.
"…Who authorized this fabrication?" he asked quietly. "No one, Grand Sage," the junior archaeologist replied nervously.
"Carbon dating, mineral degradation, and sediment analysis all indicate the tablet predates recorded Archon War documentation."Azar turned sharply.
"That is not possible."
The translator stepped forward.
"We verified the inscriptions three times."
She swallowed."They are consistent with proto-Teyvatian script… older than any language cataloged by the Akademiya."
Azar's expression hardened.
"…Send it to the Research Division immediately."
=====
First Chapter done second chapter ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ i donno