Zafir and Ibrahim's fathers were business partners and as such they grew up together. Though their first few interactions were cold and disinterested, they eventually warmed up to each other and began to enjoy each others, more so than others. Zafir being the Forceful girl she was, would drag Ibrahim everywhere, be it a party or a bar fight. They both shared a common admiration for the Corps of Thirty and being the inseparable pair they were, joined it when they were old enough. They trained together and became quite the duo. Though Zafir's superior skill in blade and magic soon caught the eye of their superiors and she was offered a choice. Stay a common soldier struggling to rise the ranks or be a part of something greater. Zafir much to Ibrahim's Disappointment chose the latter. She spent much of her time away from the city and interactions between Ibrahim and Zafir became colder and their relationship strained. Zafir being angry that he wasn't happy for her and Ibrahim feeling that she was throwing him away. His heart saddened everytime he looked at her and realized that he could never be able to stand next to her. Eventually they started avoiding each other altogether. Though there are still nights where Ibrahim stays awake thinking about her and hoped that she did the same for him.
Ibrahim was born and raised in the city of Sumeru.He was born as the youngest of a merchant family and as such was always considered the baby of the family. He would be educated by his mother and older sisters during the day and would listen to stories told by his father's customers in the evening. He would listen to stories of knights from the distant lands of Favonius, of the beauty of Liyue or the mysticism of inazuma. But his heart would always belong to the Corps of Thirty, heroes who protected his city. And so after much persuading, at the age of 14 he joined the mercenary protectors of his city. Quite early on Ibrahim realized that he was not fastest nor the most skillful. So seeing that he couldn't be the spear, he decided to become the shield. Being able to shrug of hits better than his companions, he would become a wall of steel and flesh between those who dare strike against Sumeru.
