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chapter one;
khaenri'ah
and
a mage.
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❝ going out into the world and investigating, turning the 'unknown' into the 'know'. ❞
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Shivering in the freezing, biting cold air, Y/N sat under a blanket, trying to keep warm.
Not the best way to start another life they thought was ended again. That had started from them fucking dying.
Again.
What was this reincarnation bullshit that they were being put through?!
"I'm going to kill whoever is doing this to me..."
Another shiver ran down their spine, goosebumps trailing all over their arm.
There wasn't much known about Khaenri'ah when Y/N had been transported here; the story had only just finished Fontaine's story arc when they died.
All that they could remember was that it was land with no Gods, and it was where Kaeya ancestors were born, along with Albedo's birthplace. Dainsleif's regret and Gold's (or Rhinedottir's) biggest accomplishment.
And that eventually, would lead it to Khaenri'ah's downfall; the Cataclysm. The reason for the traveller's journey around the seven nations.
And they were, quite literally, in the centre of it.
No; they were literally in the middle of Khaenri'ah, right now.
It had been less than a day, but Y/N had figured out two things.
One: they had been aged down to around 7 or 8 years old. And yes, they had already tried to change, but to no avail. That caused them to realise they didn't have any adeptal blood in them anymore, or not enough to give them their full powers. Yet, they still somehow had the same strength.
Which brought them onto the second point: they had been dumped, quite literally, into a hidden alleyway. They opened their eyes to darkness, and it took them a few minutes of trying to calm their breathing and heartbeat (because they last thing they remember was Rex's golden amber iris', and the tears falling down) before they opened the - what they found out after getting out - was a box. Large enough to fit them, but small enough that it was still slightly cramped.
And that's how it had been for the last few days. Scavenging for food, trying to keep warm, which was hard. Considering Khaenri'ah was just a cold place with only superficial light to guide people's ways. It reminded them a lot of Enkanomiya, a similar structure, but different. It was weird seeing it all in person, considering it was never actually shown what it looked like.
But it was cool. You could see the knights walking in pairs, the metal armour clanking as boots hit the floor.
It was only when a shadow cast over their body that they dared to look up, and maybe, just maybe, if they hadn't died twice already, they'd have shit in their pants and even cried a bit, they would have.
Because it was Pierro.
Except... he had dark hair - dark, long hair. Less facial hair, but there was stubble growing, at least. Two glowing ocean blue eyes (Gojo Satoru who? they thought to themself) that had the trademark Khaenri'ahn star in them. A different style of Khaenri'ah clothes on him... A robe that was navy, stars littering around it, as well as the trademark Khaenri'ahn star. He also had a darker navy cloak that looked a little bit like Dainsleifs, but with different designs.
And no mask covering his face.
"What are you doing here?"
Okay, maybe this wasn't Pierro because Pierro would most definitely not ask that.
Blinking up at him, e/c eyes as blank as the void.
"Do you have no where to go?"
Y/N shook their head.
The man hummed, nodding to himself. Y/N only raised an eyebrow at him, curiosity slowly turning them into a cat.
"Do you not have any family?"
Another shake of the head.
"Come," Pierro muttered simply, "I shall house you until you are fit to leave."
Y/N's mouth open and closed like a fish, trying to find any words at all. Because there was no way that they were embarrassing themselves in front of this man. (Did he qualify as a dilf...?)
Without even warning them, Pierro picked them up from under their arms, setting them on their feet. Hands staying on their shoulders so they didn't fall over.
"Let's go."
Y/N followed him like a lost puppy. (Which they truly were at this point, because fucking hell, Khaenri'ah was massive.)
For each step for Pierro, it was at least three mini steps for Y/N, who struggled to keep up, but the black-haired man was kind enough to stop every now and then and wait for them.
Thankfully, it wasn't long before Pierro stopped at a house and opened the door, keeping it open for Y/N to walk through first.
"This is my home, and yours for the time being." Pierro spoke as he took off his cloak. "We shall lay out some ground rules, however, before that, lets eat."
Y/N nodded shyly as they heard their stomach rumble, "Yes please."
Pierro turned his head just in time for a small smile to crack onto his carefully create stone-cold mask and walked towards the kitchen.
"We haven't much, as I need to go to the market soon, but I'll try to make something nice tonight."
"Thank you."
So for the next hour, as much as Y/N could tell without seeing an actual passage of time, Y/N wandered around. Pierro had kept an eye out, making sure they weren't doing anything they weren't supposed to. The h/c haired kept to being in his line of sight, which mounted to the kitchen, living room and hallway. There were a set of stairs near front door, but Y/N would leave that for later.
The living room consisted of hundreds of books, a sofa and a table in front of it. Rather simple, and modernised, without any electronics.
Y/N liked it.
"It's nice." They whispered to themself.
"Thank you," Pierro spoke up from behind them, making them jump out of their skin. He stared at them for a second as if deciding whether to say something, but shook his head and said, "Food is ready."
They walked towards the table, where an assortment of vegetables and a big bowl of stew lay. Meat was apparently a luxury in Khaenri'ah, something Y/N had observed in their small time here.
Before Y/N could scoop any soup out with the metal spoon, Pierro picked up their bowl and filled it with soup, picking up a few cut vegetables to put into it - carrots, radishes, and some other types of vegetables Y/N couldn't be bothered to remember at the moment because they were far too hungry to be picky.
"Thank you," Y/N mumbled, grateful as Pierro placed down their bowl and picked up his own.
"Of course." Pierro replied lowly, gracefully filling up his bowl.
They ate in silence for a few minutes, Pierro silently watching as Y/N devoured their bowl with an amused twinkle in his eyes that went unseen.
Silently, Pierro took Y/N's finished bowl - he had only eaten a quarter of his at this point - and refilled it.
By the time Pierro had finished his and patiently waited for Y/N, they were about to finish their third serving.
With his elbows on the table, fingers interlocked and his head resting on the back on his hands, Pierro watched them as they finished, then spoke up once it was clear Y/N wasn't going to ask for more.
"I can take you in, but I will need something in return. Something that will give a future whilst also doing a favour for me." Pierro started as he started collecting the empty bowls on the table. "There is a scientist here in Khaenri'ah that I wish to keep an eye on, however, my own expertise lie elsewhere, being a mage, so I haven't been able to do it myself."
"...Scientist?" Y/N asked lowly, already having a (bad) feeling about who specifically this scientist was.
"Yes," Pierro nodded, "Her name is Rhinedottir, and she is a scientist. Normally, something like this would've cause for such concern, but I have a feeling that she will be trouble in the future. Her expertise lie in a rather... dark matter."
Sitting back at the table, back straightened against the chair, showing proper etiquette, Pierro hummed, "I would need for you to become her apprentice. Find out what she is doing behind the scenes. She never lets anyone other than a select few into her circle."
Tilting their head, Y/N let the words slowly sink in. "You want me to spy on this Rhinedottir for you? Why me?"
"Call it instinct," Pierro's ocean blue eyes stared straight into their soul, like he knew exactly who they were and just where they came from. "But I have a feeling that you're the right person for this job."
Y/N was silent for a while, Pierro waited patiently, looking out the window, watching Khaenri'ahns hurry around on the street.
"I'll do it," Y/N finally spoke up, sitting straighter with a nod of their head. "I'll do it, but I don't promise anything."
'Rhinedottir... so she is here. I have to find Dainsleif as well, maybe he could help, if he's even a knight right now...?' Y/N thought in their head, 'But doing this... Well it could save Khaenri'ah from as much destruction from the Cataclysm as possible if I do this correctly.'
"Good," Pierro nodded, a more noticeable smile appearing on his face. "Even if nothing ends up happening, it's better to be more safe than sorry."
Y/N watched as Pierro stood up, only following once he motions for them to, and they trek up the stairs. A hallway with four doors greeted them. The first one being on the left, a desk against the wall after it with... a bunch of flowers in a pot that looks very similar to the one that Lumine had in her hair. One the right, after the desk was another door, and after that, a painting of Pierro and what Y/N guessed was his family was proudly displayed on the wall, and after the painting was another door. Across from that door was another door on the left.
"My two rooms are on the right. The first one is my bedroom, the second is my office. For privacy, don't go into my office. Knock if you need me." Pierro said, guiding them to the door on the left, "This room is yours, free to use. Decorate it how you wish, no one else is staying here."
Pierro opened the door, only to be greeted by a white pristine-clean room with a bed, a desk, a set of drawers and a wardrobe. "We will go shopping tomorrow for new clothes for you, but for now, there's a bath at the end of the hall, the door next to yours."
Y/N could have teared up if they weren't so exhausted - blame the food coma, and their body not fighting sleep anymore upon realising it had a nice warm bed to sleep on, instead of hard, cold, wet concrete - and looked up at the black-haired man, a grateful smile on their face, "Thank you."
Pierro nodded, "As long as you are useful, then you can stay. Obviously, the apprenticeship with Rhinedottir won't come into your hands so easily, so we shall work towards it once you are ready. There is no rush, though. Make sure you are healthy, and properly taken care of. With proper clothes and rest."
Y/N bit their lip, worried they'd only be blurting out thank yous; they never thought Pierro would be this kind. Did he change after the Cataclysm? Just... Just how bad was the Cataclysm to see it with their (Dainsleif and Pierro)'s own eyes to change them so much?
"Well, I shall leave you for the evening. Feel free to have some water, bathe and sleep however long you need." Pierro smiled again, the small smile that just felt like a warm fresh of air to the h/c haired. "I will be in my office for a few hours, if you need help with anything, don't be afraid to knock."
Y/N was too busy gaping at the room to notice him leave, softly closing the door behind him. Walking forward, their hands drifted over the soft covers of the duvet, it felt as if it were some type of soft grey fur, the pillows much the same. The desk, wardrobe and drawer were of the same dark oak wood. Think dark oak from Minecraft, and it had the same colour, the nobs to open them were a little lighter in shade. Nothing decorated the desk, or the plain white walls. A carpet was on the floor, on the left side of the bed in front of the desk.
"I guess it's time for a shower, huh?" Y/N whispered to themself.
This couldn't be the worst possible situation they've had themselves in... it was rather desirable considering the circumstances.
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Merry Christmas everyone! Here's a little present from me. I hope you all have a good day, and enjoys it if you celebrate. <3
- ren.
❝𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐘 𝐂𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐃 𝐒𝐎 𝐒𝐈𝐋𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐋𝐘, 𝐒𝐎 𝐋𝐎𝐒𝐓, 𝐀 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝐅𝐔𝐋𝐋 𝐎𝐅 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐋𝐄𝐒𝐒 𝐄𝐌𝐏𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐒.❞