Act I, Scene 1

                                    

                                          
"Quotes and Italics" = Sign Language
Just Italics = Thinking
Sentences broken up by italics = emphasis
'Single quotes and italics' = Telepathic communication
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The Teyvat sun is hot. It's beating straight down, casting shadows beneath scuttling crabs and flying elves. It's a perfect compliment to the waves beating against the shore. The birds chirping are a bit off-putting, but if I sit here and pretend hard enough, I almost believe I'm in Florida in some semi-peaceful world. A farming one, maybe. Or a dating sim, that would be nice! A nice beach chapter, waiting for some hapless someone or other to sweep me off my feet or tackle me into the waves. I'm wearing a cute swimsuit and a matching hat, I'm going to my happy place,  fuck  do I miss Stardew Valley, I'm wearing cute sandals!
Except I'm not. 
I'm wearing boots.
My boots are full of sand and I'm mad as hell.
Because Aether, like a little  whore , got kidnapped by some hostile entity so now I'm stuck with Floater McGee and I have to fuck on off across the entire continent to save him. Which, what an awesome concept! I would much rather watch Aether play through it while I played in the waves after the last hellhole of a world. But yeah, sure, make the traumatized sister do the heavy lifting. Sounds like a plan. 
Have I mentioned yet that I'm mad as hell?
Paimon, the aforementioned flying elf, wants me to follow her now, so I clamor off the rock that I've been sitting on while I spin her my sob story and run after her. It's a short jog but I check what laws apply to this world anyway. Basic mechanics, nothing out of the ordinary. A slime pops out of the water, and I produce a sword from nowhere and make short work of the little creature. This world reminds me a bit of the last time that we visited Link. Man, I'd even take that over this right now.
I'm not without Aether a lot if you can't tell yet.
I catch up to Paimon, who teaches me how to activate the world's teleportation mechanic. Thank whatever deity lives here that I won't have to run everywhere. Been there, done that, got the trophy, not a fan. Then she's flying off again and I am, of course, running to catch up. She leads me up a wall (I can  climb  like a  god and I'm taking back everything negative I've ever said about this world) and up a path a little ways more. The view kind of makes up for the fact that I'm stuck here.
A little ways away from me, there's a giant statue. It's glowing red, but it's still... comforting, somehow. Behind that is the silhouette of a large city, windmills turning over the tops of the houses. 
"Oh, wow!" Paimon shouts next to me. I can't help but let out an appreciative whistle of my own.
"That's a Statue of the Seven," Paimon explains. "There are a few of these statues scattered across the land to show the Seven's protection over the world."
I nod along, ready to sign a question at her, but she barrels onwards.
"Among the seven, this god controls the wind! Paimon's not sure whether the god you're looking for is the Anemo God, but Paimon'll take you to the Anemo God's place first, and there's a reason why~" She chirps with a conspiratorial wink. I put my hands down, resolving to ask my question about these 'Seven' later. But she's already floating away, down the path, saying something about language flowing like the wind. I guess she thinks someone might have heard something about my brother.