No warnings for this chapter.
\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/
Chapter 4: I Wake To Your Cries
\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/
By the time they reach Liyue, Albedo has laid back down on the cart and closed his eyes to rest. Despite Noelle's sugary meal, he is tired and weighed down by his own body, as if he is made of lead. Were it not for the occasional whisper of fragmented conversation between Noelle and Sucrose, or between Klee and the Harbinger, he'd have fallen asleep by now.
The cart's wheels move from dirt to stone, then wood, and its sway lessens. They must have made it into Liyue Harbour.
"So, just take a turn there," Paimon says as she and the Traveller guide them through the city's main streets. After a few minutes, their cart comes to a stop.
"A funeral parlour?" an amused Kaeya asks.
"Aha, long story…" Paimon sheepishly says, and he hears the cart's canvas sway—she must have floated inside. "We're here—!"
She's quickly shushed by Sucrose and Noelle.
"Master Albedo fell asleep on the way here," Noelle whispers. "We shouldn't disturb him."
Albedo does not correct her. He can't get up and join them anyway, and he wants to rest his eyes.
"You should come with." From the direction of Paimon's voice, she must be addressing Sucrose. "We don't really know anything about alchemy and what to say…"
"Oh…" Sucrose lets out.
"Don't worry, I'll keep watch," Noelle whispers.
With a sigh, Sucrose gets up and leaves the cart, taking such good care to be silent that Albedo barely hears her disembark.
There is some more talk outside the cart, and Noelle lets out a low hum as she busies herself with something Albedo can't see.
"Kaeya," Albedo hears Diluc's voice. "A word."
"Eh?" Paimon calls out.
"Oh, you go on ahead, we'll just be right behind," comes Kaeya's voice, and Albedo hears them move a small distance away. "Well?" he asks, and Albedo is lucky enough to be sitting on that side of the cart. He can hear them, if barely.
"What's going on?" Diluc asks.
"What do you mean? I thought you knew. Our dear Albedo has gotten sick and we are looking for a way to heal him."
Diluc lets out an affirmative grunt, though with an undertone of displeasure. "A very concise summary. Particularly light on the details."
"Is there a problem?" Kaeya asks, his tone still light. "Surely you didn't join us out of pure goodwill—?"
"I joined you because you decided to let a Fatui Harbinger tag along and because you made it clear this is an urgent matter," Diluc cuts him off and his voice goes even quieter. Albedo can barely hear him now, and he misses the occasional word. "… Is there… like to tell now?"
"Hm," Kaeya trails off, not bothering to lower his voice. "Not really."
"Kaeya…"
The Cavalry Captain laughs. "Honest! This is as much of a surprise to you as it is to me!"
Diluc takes a second too long to respond. "Let's say it is. And there's not anything else you would know that may be related?"
"I'm not sure I follow."
"The description of Albedo's injuries sounds surprisingly similar, don't you think?"
"Similar to what?" Kaeya asks, and Albedo wouldn't be surprised if Diluc is scowling at the Captain. Kaeya is acting uncharacteristically obstinate.
"To symptoms of overexposure in the Abyss, and the Cataclysm that originated from it." Again, Diluc lowers his voice. "… Rather, a… region you… more familiar with."
"Come on now," Kaeya says with an airy laugh. "I'm not in cahoots with every mysterious person who shows up in Mondstadt!"
"So, you're sure this doesn't have any connection to…?" And Albedo's not sure if it's because of the distance or because of his condition, but Diluc's last word comes out as a jumbled mess of sounds. "Because even if we resolve this, the Knights will want answers and they will go looking—"
"My, is that a threat or a warning?" Kaeya cuts him off, and there's an icy undertone to his voice.
Diluc doesn't speak.
"Maybe there is a connection, maybe there isn't. It's as I've told you. Contrary to popular belief, I don't know everything that goes on in Mondstadt's walls or outside of it. But," he continues when Diluc doesn't respond, "even if there was any connection, I'm not sure that would be of any help here. Currently, our best option is to follow Albedo's instructions. He already seems to have a plan in mind."
"And do you think this plan will work?"
"If it doesn't, we'll cross that bridge if it comes to. But," he quickly adds, "if you don't trust our plan, feel free to go back to the cart and stab our dear Chief Alchemist in the heart. I don't think he'll put up much of a fight and that would resolve matters faster, no?"
Ah. So Kaeya had definitely understood him. Not just that, but also…
But the Cavalry Captain's origin is not related to Albedo's goal, and so this matter has not interested him before and would not interest him now.
"... Where'd the Fatui go?" Diluc eventually asks.
"He said something about grabbing lunch and some medicine," Kaeya casually says, as if the previous conversation hasn't taken place.
"Get to the parlour. I'll go find him and make sure he doesn't try anything…"
Albedo tunes out the rest of their conversation as it is irrelevant. He feels like a weight has come off his shoulders. Now if everything goes wrong…
Albedo discards such thoughts as he sinks into a more comfortable position.
He's so very tired.
\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/
"Hello, hello!" comes a chipper girl's voice as Klee rushes in the funeral parlour, followed by the Traveller and the others. "Welcome to Wansheng Funeral Parlour, I'm the Director, Hu Tao, remember we have a special discount period of buy one get one free!"
"Hi!" Klee shouts back with a wave and Hu Tao reciprocates with a grin. She's not sure what a parlour is, but she knows about funerals, and her face falls as she doesn't understand why they're here. "Um, Albedo's not dead…"
"Ah, we're not here for that," Paimon quickly reassures her as she and the Traveller turn to Hu Tao. "Is Zhongli—?"
"My consultant?" Hu Tao asks, just as enthusiastically as before. Klee should ask her to be her playmate when Albedo gets better. "My, he sure is popular—!"
"Greetings," comes a deep voice as a very tall man —taller than Diluc!— in a fancy suit walks in the foyer. He must be 'Zhongli'. "I heard you from the entrance, is something the matter?"
"Yeah, but…" Paimon hesitates. "It's a bit of a private matter…"
"Oh?" Hu Tao leans forward with an impish smirk. "I love gossip! And Mr Zhongli is on call today…"
"We'll compensate him for his time," Paimon says before flating by the Traveller's side and whispering: "Uh, we do have enough mora to—?"
But Hu Tao doesn't hear them, and her smile widens. "Then he's all yours, for the typical premium rate of course!" Before Zhongli can speak, she is already behind him and pushing him towards the exit. "Remember, I'll be charging any overtime, enjoy!" she says in one breath as she and the rest of the group go out to the street.
Klee waves the strange lady goodbye, and she gives her a wink before she runs back to the shop.
Yes, Klee would definitely like to play with her sometime. She makes a mental note to ask Albedo.
"Ah, the hardworking life of the average Liyue citizen!" Venti says with a laugh.
Zhongli seems to notice him for the first time, his eyebrows raising slightly. However, moments later, he switches his gaze to the Traveller and clears his throat. "So, what do you need me for?"
Paimon flies by Sucrose's side and pokes her.
"Um, hello!" Sucrose nervously says, gulping and fixing her hair, not meeting Zhongli's eyes. "Um," she looks helplessly between the Traveller and Zhongli, "is he—I mean, are you the Liyue consultant?"
"Yup, Zhongli here knows everything there is to know about Liyue!" Paimon says.
Oh, so he's smart like Albedo! Klee wonders if he knows anything about bomb-making.
"That would be an exaggeration," Zhongli says with a slight frown, "but I'm happy to provide you with any information you need. What seems to be the matter?"
"Uh, well, it has to do with alchemy and uh…" Sucrose stutters as her words die down. She is always like that, though she gets even worse when her big brother is around her.
"Well," Zhongli diplomatically starts, probably taking some pity on the stuttering girl. "I am no expert in alchemy, but I know the basics. Are you looking for books, or material…?"
"Oh yes! Uh, chalk…" Sucrose speaks up, and though she still stutters, she seems more determined. "We're looking for chalk suppliers, and we have… um, well we need it in a few forms—powder, solid and—oh and ideally with few to none silt or clay contaminants, as removing them ourselves will take too long…"
She trails off and Zhongli gives her an encouraging hum. "Ah, chalk. That would be used for the second stage of alchemy, correct? The one after nigredo, and before rubedo and citrinitas?"
"Yes, al—" Sucrose cuts herself off and her eyes go wide.
"Ms Sucrose…?"
"Oh, I mean you got it right! That is why we need the chalk… I have a list, one second…" She scours for her bag and Klee hears the various clinks of bottles and equipment she usually carried. That and a couple of candy she would always give Klee—as well as some extra to pass to Albedo. "Here!"
Zhongli takes the piece of paper and studies it.
Klee sees Kaeya walk to them from the cart. She gives him a wave, and he gives her a wink, but silently stays in the back and watches.
"That… is an unusually large amount," Zhongli eventually says. "If you don't mind me asking, what do you need all that chalk for?"
Sucrose squirms under his gaze and Klee doesn't understand why. It's all very simple in her opinion. Then Zhongli looks to Venti and Klee finds it even stranger as Venti is very nice and very fun to play with, but he isn't as smart as Sucrose.
"My big brother is sick!" Klee says as she jumps between the two. "And we're on a mission to make him better!"
"Ah," Sucrose panics, "well, um…"
He looks down on her, and Klee doesn't understand why Sucrose is so nervous. He's not half as strange as Diluc. In fact, he reminds him of Albedo when he's watching her do her homework. So, Klee simply stares up at the tall man with a determined pout.
"… I see. I hope I can help your brother get well soon then," Zhongli eventually says and looks up at Sucrose. "I know of a few merchants around the area that may have what you need."
Sucrose's face looks hopeful, but Paimon lets out a groan. "I hope you have enough mora if you want to go shopping with Zhongli."
"Oh, yes, about that…" Sucrose mutters. "Acting Grandmaster Jean assigned me some funds, and we have our alchemy department's budget…" She fiddles with her hands. "But if that's not enough, I have some of my own savings…"
"I have that covered," and "Leave the mora to me," Diluc and Childe—Klee wasn't sure what to make of him as she found him very fun, but he also hurt Albedo—say simultaneously as they walk to them, and promptly glare at each other.
Diluc clicks his tongue. "I don't want the Knights to be indebted to the Fatui—"
"Take this as compensation to ameliorate any damage to our diplomatic relations—"
"The Knights of Favonius thank you both," Kaeya says as he places a hand on each of their shoulders. "And we'll hold you to your word, of course."
This doesn't stop the two from glaring at each other, but Klee doesn't care much. She runs back to the cart and climbs at the back entrance, Noelle helping her get in. "Albedo!"
"Ah, he's still resting," Noelle says with a quick but gentle shush.
Klee pouts, but it makes sense. She sleeps a lot when she's sick too. Still, she wants to tell him the good news as soon as possible.
"When he wakes up, tell him we're gonna go buy chalk, and he's gonna be all better!"
Noelle nods, and Klee, despite how worried she is as Albedo never gets sick, gives him a big smile.
"Get well soon, big brother," she whispers under her breath.
\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/
Albedo is soaring.
He is engulfed in darkness as the wind rushes against his body and howls past his ears. Inertia pushes him back, but he flexes his core and leans forward to grab onto a vast unseen scaly body. The flight is fierce but graceful in its fast ascent.
There is a pinprick of light as the centre of his vision that grows with each passing second. Around him, the darkness is absolute but noisy, though the wind muffles and mixes its sounds in a pandemonious cacophony. The air is stale, and his eyes can't adjust to the dark, not when that gate of light is so tantalisingly close…
He flows out of the darkness, down to a light blue sky overlooking green valleys and clear seas.
The light momentarily blinds him, and when Albedo opens his eyes, he is on top of a colossal, magnificent dragon.
The dragon beats their giant wings, each as massive as a merchant ship's sails, the underlying movement as smooth but as powerful as the tide. The sun glints off their jewelled body, reflecting red light like a snow-capped mountain on a clear sunny day.
The dragon twists and manoeuvres in wide, arching movements, but Albedo never feels as if he's about to fall off. Though only anchored by his hands and legs, he knows he is secure amongst the dragon's ruby red scales.
They shoot through a small cloud, scattering it into mist, and Albedo closes his eyes to protect them from the condensation.
When he opens them, the beauty of Mondstadt's land stretches before him.
Green fertile valleys stretch as far as the eye can see, leading to steep cliffs that spread into a crystal blue sea, a gentle wind breeze swaying the grass and bountiful trees below.
"We're flying!" Albedo calls out, his features stretching to a smile. What a view! He had never seen Mondstadt from this angle. How wonderfully it all came together, more splendid than any painting, than any tale!
"Yes!" a voice rumbles across the dragon's body, childish and just as delighted. "We're in the land of lovely songs!"
Albedo stands up straight and raises his hands, the wind rushing through his fingers. A built-up sound in his throat comes out as a playful howl. "It's beautiful!"
"Let us tell them sibling!" The dragon's laughter joins his. "Let us tell them of our joy, of our mother, of our beautiful birthplace!"
Albedo laughs again and leans over to get a better view, to memorise all the details and jot them down later in fond recollection. The drawings he will make, of the edge Starsnatch Cliff raised high towards the sky, of the gleaming ruins of the Thousand Winds Temple, of Windrise with its river spilling over Flacon Coast, of the canyons of Daudaupa Gorge—
Of a snowless Dragonspine without its skeleton.
Albedo's laughter dies in his throat. They are flying over Springvale, casting a dark shadow across the shuttered huts.
He looks back to the growing Abyss trailing after them. The abyssal darkness spreads like a malignant tumour, like lava engulfing everything around it. It has already engulfed Musk Reef as it spreads across the sea and licks the craigs of Cape Oath.
The reflected sunlight makes it hard to look down at his own body, but he makes out light purple veins that run across the dragon's body and have spread to his.
Albedo's eyes widen in recognition. "Durin."
The dragon keeps laughing as he beats his giant winds and turns. The city of Mondstadt grows closer, like a cradle rising out of Cider Lake. He can make out the Headquarters of the Knight of Favonius.
No!
Albedo panics and pushes himself off, tumbling off the great jewelled body. The inertia carries him forward for a short while, but then he falls, spinning faster and faster as the ground and earth spin until they are indistinguishable from each other.
Durin lets out a distressed cry as he swerves and dive down to catch him, but it's too late and Albedo crashes—
\*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*/
Feedback/Comments are appreciated.