ALATUS CHAPTER, ACT I, PART I
You and the others returned to inn as soon as possible just to be greeted by Paimon being almost cooked alive with Aether who had murderous intent towards Paimon which made you wondered what the hell did she say to him. "Aether, stop that... Anyways, we will be going to Liyue later but I need to stop by at Wangshu Inn." You said as Aether took Paimon and whispered something in the lines of 'Don't tell'
"Wait, Y/N's who's that?" Paimon asked as she pointed at Corazon.
"Teeny Abyss Mage become big and Y/N turned him small back in order to not let him being forced to work." Astra explained as Paimon looked at him in surprised.
"Wait aren't you supposed to be speaking in Hilichurlian?" She asked as he began to tell the story of just how he began to speak so fluently and here you are feeling useless once more that you couldn't do something simple that is called reading. "Wow it took him 3 days to be fluent in language while here we have a 4 million years old man who can't even read properly." Paimon said as you slowly looked away.
"I-I have my own reason, alright." You stuttered as Paimon raised her eyebrows with her hands on her hips.
"Yeah sure." Paimon simply stated before she let out a sigh. "Anyways, so do we have to get there by walking again since Astra and Cora haven't unlocked and know how to use the Teleport Waypoint yet, have they?" She asked as she turned to them before Cora sighed and looked at Paimon in disbelief.
"I think you forgot I share a trait of an Abyss Mage. I can teleport..." He disappeared before reappearing behind Paimon and grabbed her head. "Whenever I want." He smiled as Paimon shrieked.
"AAHHHH, LET GO OF PAIMON! PAIMON" She screamed as she tried to free herself while Cora just laughed evilly before you and Aether watched. "PAIMON DOES NOT HESITATE TO STAB YOU WITH A KNIFE." She suddenly took out a knife as Cora just smirked.
"Can you even reach?" Cora asked as Paimon struggled but her hands are too small before she huffed.
"Two emergency foods trying to kill each other..." You and Aether said simultaneously before Cora immediately let her go and turned to you two.
"Wait no- Why am I in the emergency food group?" He asked as he gave a fearful look as Paimon just snickered while Osial and Astra looked at you two in concerned.
"Are they seriously gonna eat Paimon and Cora?" Astra asked in whisper as Osial shrugged as you cleared throat.
"Anyways, let's make our way to Wangshu Inn or rather the entrance of the inn." Aether was going to ask you why but was interrupted by you grabbed Astra's hand and teleported away. Aether sighed before teleported along with the others.
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The moment you arrived, you saw hilichurls trying to kill each other off, giving off a very dark energy which made you realized that this was the first act for Xiao story quest. "Hey, is it just Paimon or is there something weird about those hilichurls over there." You heard Paimon voice behind you.
"....They are unusually agitated...." Astra looked at them in concerned. You glanced at him worried about him before Paimon nodded in agreement.
"Right! Maybe it has something to do with that sorta... dark energy they're giving off?" Paimon questioned.
"We should take them out, it's really close with Wangshu Inn. The guests are in great danger if we don't do something." Aether said as Astra sighed as he looked at the hilichurls in sympathy before killing them off. Osial just sucked in a few of them like a vacuum, Aether summoned a tornado to fly away, Cora literally attacked like an Abyss Mage while you just stand there and didn't act fast enough and you just leave it up to them.
You noticed a group of people with a masked man in the middle before you heard Paimon's commentary. "Hey, seems like people are gathering over there... Wonder what they're doing?" You watched him scaring the hilichurls away with the Sigil of Permission before Paimon looked at him in astonished. "Whoa, see that guy in the mask? He—He scared off all the hilichurls!" You immediately killed it off with tiny gems that acted as a bullet since Xiao did say it have to be dispersed efficiently.
"Could he be an adeptus?" Aether murmured as Osial frowned and was about to say something before you asked him to stay quiet and let them be. Paimon suggested to say hello to him before you guys went closer to him though Astra got distracted the moment he saw a butterfly and decided to chase it while Cora immediately rushed towards him, telling that he'll bring him back.
"Ahem. Hello! Allow us to introduce ourselves, this-"
"Please, if you're here to thank me, there's no need. Cleansing the world of evil is the duty of the adepti. Think nothing of it — One certainly don't... Wait, who are you? One had assumed you were followers, but on closer inspection it seems that we have not met." This sentence alone already confirmed to you that he certainly he wasn't an adeptus.
You don't know why but after the Archon quest, you seems to think that all the adeptus are bad at socializing that also included Ganyu but it's not like you good as well so that's make it even. "We're travelers passing by. We never thought we will be meeting another adeptus." You smiled at him, looking rather threatening than friendly which of course made him tremble a bit.
"Wait yeesh- Y/N, why you give him such a scary smile?" Paimon asked as you stopped smiling looking more colder than you smiling. Despite him have his reason, you still hated him for scamming people at the first place. "Anyways, my name's Paimon and these are my side-" She felt your glare before she gulped. "Paimon meant to say friends."
"One sees. One, too, shall introduce oneself, for it is good manners to comply." He said before he cleared his throat. "The one before you is the adeptus, Master of Stars, though one is better known to one's follower as 'Starsnatcher.' One descended from one's mountain abode to cleanse the world of evil, whereupon fate saw fit that our path should cross. Now... Tell me that which you wish for." You just gave him an uninterested look.
"Well can you grant his wish to be reunited with his sister?" You asked immediately before Starsnatcher flinched.
"You do not wish anything for yourself?" He asked as you shook your head. Even if it's convenient to just wish for all your memory to return but deep down, you really do not want your memory. New memory sounded much more fun and less painstaking than having past memory. "How... selfless of you. One senses that a tragic tale lies behind this wish... So be it. The wish is not beyond one's power to grant... But first, one must see some proof of your faith." You sighed, clearly could already see through his lie whether you like it or not.
"...What's that supposed to mean?" Paimon asked him.
"The way of the adepti cannot be grasped from words alone. One must seek... the profound truths that lie beyond them... Should you fail to perceive one's hidden meaning, then regrettably, one may lend you no aid." Starsnatcher said as you just gave him an unbelievable look.
As Paimon and Aether discussed about what they should do, Osial began to approach to you. "Young Master, if you know he isn't a real adeptus why didn't you say a word?" He asked as you turned to him.
"It's... Well..." You sighed, not sure how do you explain to him.
"Well, your Young Master here is trying his best to keep the future as predictable as possible. Slightest change my change everything in the future." Orochi blatantly said it to his face which confused Osial and you turned to Orochi. "Don't look at me like that, it better if you have another person to cooperate and he was supposed to be dead or sealed whatever." Orochi said.
"But..." You trailed off. You worried if telling someone from here would change anything.
"Wait... Young Master could see the future?" Osial asked as Orochi hummed.
"Yeah basically, you are the Abyss' target. Though, I guess because of his actual existence in this world changes everything." Orochi said as you just let out another sigh.
"Let me explain instead. So you know that I reincarnated again and I don't retain any memory about you at all. So to put it simply, I was reincarnated in another world where supernatural things and magic are uncommon with a lot of problems and in that world there's a game about this world Teyvat. As I feared it does follow the story line as soon as I met Aether but things changed drastically when the Abyss said I was a royalty... and then you came into the picture which make things a bit unpredictable for me and Aether was supposed to be the main character not me." You said as Osial tried to process some things.
"So it was not supposed to be you both who took down the dragon and only you was successfully took me down?" He asked as Orochi shook his head.
"You were supposed to be down right after Jade Chamber fall on you but for unknown reasons, it didn't and I was there to scale how powerful it is. Though it's not entirely impossible if... Never mind." Orochi seem to stop from uttering another word as you looked at him. "Anyways, it would've probably be best if you stayed on the sidelines and stick close to the brat here." He ruffled your hair as you huffed and fixed your hair before disappearing.
"Wait what are you guys discussing about without us?" Paimon asked, clearly looked offended as Osial immediately smiled at them.
"It's a secret." Osial winked as Aether grumbled and glaring at him. "And you guys are the one excluded us out so we have our own conversation, am I right?" He asked as he turned to you as you just frowned.
"Yeah whatever." You said before you turned to Paimon. "So is there any place we will be going?" You asked them as Paimon nodded.
"Yup, Wanmen Bookstore for new recipe!" Paimon said excitedly before she looked around. "Wait is Astra and Cora are not back?" Paimon asked before you felt a tap on your back.
Speak of the devil... You thought before you saw how out of breath Cora looked while Astra smiled widely before he handed you something. "Crystalfly and a Qingxin for you." He said excitedly before your heart melted. You can't stay mad at him even if you wanted to.
You took the crystalfly and Qingxin from him before patting his head. "Thank you, Astra. Now please don't wander off without telling anyone again." You said as he nodded before Cora just looked really dead.
"Why does he only listen to Y/N...." Cora said in disappointment before you guys continued your journey to the Wanmen Bookstore.
TO BE CONTINUED
Author Note:
I somewhat have grown to like morning and night. Like imagine watching sunrise or sunset with a cup of your favorite drink with your comfort character at your favorite location while listening to a song. I used to hate morning because how painful it reminded me of school.
Also you know I think I know why I love Marius so much and if you think about it, he literally KaeyaxAlbedo child. He's flirty, caring, arrogant, can be soft if he needed to, a man baby and literally is an artist. You cannot tell me that he is not their child.
Anyways, for those who don't know, I released a Tears of Themis fanfic called Nyctophilia, check 'em out :D! That's all from me and have a nice day also have this fanart before you guys go.