Creation is a product of destruction in the same way life is born from dust. The simplest form of complex life can lead to the birth of new creation. Where life is born from dust, it too shall return to dust. That was one of the fundamentals of alchemy and it was also one of the first things Albedo had learned from his teacher.
But life in itself is complicated. What defines life? On one hand, one could define life as simply existence. To exist is to live but is that truly living?
Despite being called a genius, Albedo could not give an answer. However, after meeting the Traveller, Albedo could say that the Traveller himself represents the definition of life. The Traveller represents life not as himself but the effect he has on the things around him, be it animate or inanimate. The smiles that people give from a simple greeting, the joy that people obtain from completing a simple request. In that same vein, where the Traveller personifies life, he too can represent the end. The Traveller had brought down hundreds of lives in his unending quest to find his missing sister. There would be no hesitation as he swung his blade nor will there be mercy for those who dares to stand in his way.
Truly, a personification of life and death.
But life should not be defined solely on feelings and actions, life too can be defined by the environment. As proven before, humans could not thrive without social contact. A human could have all the food and water in the world but they would still die when subjected to eternal loneliness. Humans are fascinating creatures. But humanity was not the subject of Albedo's research. Instead, he wishes to fulfill the final assignment his master had given to him: To seek the truth and the meaning of the world. However, despite the years of research he had devoted to, Albedo has yet to find the answer to the final task his master had assigned to him. What he believes however, is that the definition of life might lead to the answers that he seeks and in what other way could he seek out the answer but from the one who personifies life and death?
"Albedo, can you please have your existential crisis after breakfast? It's too early for that right now and I want to sleep longer."
"How would you define 'too early'?"
"If Paimon is not awake then it's too early."
The first time Albedo had heard of the Traveller, he had just returned from an expedition with Sucrose and Klee when they stumbled into a city drowned in revelry. Merry drunkards staggered down the streets drinking and singing while the knights were overwhelmed in controlling the chaos. His inquiries only brought forth more questions and the word 'Traveller' was the common link in all of them. A few more questions around the Knights of Favonius and Albedo now have a name and the title 'Honorary Knight' to match the mysterious Traveller. But more importantly, there was a bit of information that intrigued him: A Visionless user who could wield the power of Anemo.
Albedo could not wait until he could meet Aether face-to-face.
Unfortunately, luck was not on his side for this particular endeavour. For every opportunity he had to meet the Traveller, he would be prevented from doing so. Be it sudden strange events that require his attention or duties he must perform from outside the city walls. Upon the discovery of a strange seed of otherworldly origins, Albedo set off for an expedition to Dragonspine with one of his assistants in hopes that he would be able to find some clues to germinate the seed.
After departing mondstadt, he had accepted the fact that meeting the Traveller would be an impossible task after all. So when he did meet the Traveller for the first time, he had almost mistaken the golden-haired boy to be a random adventurer attempting to scale Dragonspine that happened to stumble into his camp. Then Amber showed up from behind the adventurer and that was how Albedo knew that the young man standing in front of him was the mysterious Traveller.
"Albedo!"
"Ah, Outrider Amber, what brings you to this part of the land?"
"Aether was looking for you so I tagged along."
The first impression that Albedo had of the Traveller was that he was a very quiet person. The Traveller's floating fairy companion (and how does one manage to find a fairy in Teyvat), Paimon, and Amber were the ones who mainly spoke while the Traveller would mostly remain in the background. Albedo allowed the party to settle in his camp as Paimon explained their meeting with Sucrose and how Rosaria helped to point the way to his camp.
"So Sister Rosaria showed you the way? I must thank her once I return to Mondstadt. But back to the point, Sucrose is correct. Honorary Knight, I've heard a bit of everything, your actions during Stormterror's attack, your elemental control, and quite a few other mysterious things...I'll skip to the conclusion, there's only one possibility after all. You came from afar - from another world. Correct?"
"That is correct," the Traveller answered. "But it seems that you haven't heard everything yet."
"Regardless, if I could procure your assistance, I think my research would benefit enormously."
After explaining and showing a simple demonstration of the cycle of life with alchemy, the Traveller agreed (his party very reluctantly so) to assist him in this endeavour. When he revealed that the Traveller himself would be the subject of his research, the Traveller's party tried to refuse and get the Traveller to leave despite his repeated assurance he would do everything within his power to ensure the safety of the Traveller.
"Are you sure this is safe?"
"Paimon thinks that we should get outta here. This sounds a little freaky."
Thankfully, the Traveller managed to placate them before drastic measures had to be resorted. Regardless, with the Traveller's assistance acquired, Albedo believes that he would finally be able to progress in his research and perhaps uncover the true definition of life.
Albedo led the Traveller and his party to an empty clearing close to the camp. The crunching of the snow behind assured Albedo that the Traveller was indeed upholding his promise of his assistance.
Before they could begin the experiment, one must first establish a baseline. But in order to create one, Albedo requires more information of the Traveller's body makeup. And who else would know the Traveller but the Traveller himself?
However, there were too many questions Albedo wished to ask of the Traveller. Fortunately, he had already created a list of questions and experiments sorted by the type and ranked in importance.
"The subject of my first research was the elements. In this world, manipulating the elements requires a Vision, though I can't see anything resembling one on your person. How you're able to freely manipulate elemental power is something I'd like to ascertain. I've got a few questions in that regard."
Elements are the core of Teyvat. One could not step a single foot in this world without being exposed to the elements, even if they do not carry a Vision to manipulate the elements. As such, one could say that the elements are essential to living in this world similar to how air is essential to live.
"I think that you are generalising what elemental energy is," Aether answered as he buried himself deeper into the folds of the blankets wrapped around him. "Rather than say that the elements are essential to our survival, which they are but, I'd say that the elements are an influence to our lifestyle. For example, Pyro could be 'passion' and 'pride', Dendro could be 'vitality', and so on. I'm not making any sense, am I?"
"On the contrary Aether, you have given me much to think about."
So how was the Traveller able to manipulate elements despite lacking a Vision? Perhaps he had an organ that worked similar to a Vision or perhaps the Traveller or his floating companion is a vessel to store elemental power for the Traveller to manipulate. However, those theories were discarded when the Traveller himself confirmed that it was not the case. But that was fine, with every hypothesis that was proven wrong, Albedo would be one step closer to finding the answer.
"Paimon is not an organ!"
"I caught her with a fishing rod."
"So she's a fish?"
"Paimon is not a fish!"
Perhaps a physical demonstration of the Traveller's ability to manipulate Anemo without a Vision would allow Albedo to glimpse at the true nature of his power and deduce the nature of his ability.
"Is there really a need to clear the snow in the area?"
"Yes," Amber answered as she and Paimon continued to sweep the snow aside but made no further move to explain her reasons.
"Very well then."
His plans, however, were all thrown to disarray when after luring the slimes for the Traveller to beat up, the Traveller summoned rocks instead of wind. Once Albedo had gotten over his initial shock, he was fascinated. How was the Traveller able to wield a different element? Was this related to his ability to manipulate elements without a Vision? Is the Traveller able to use Anemo and Geo at the same time? Does he still have the ability to use Anemo? Albedo continued to write down question after question as the Traveller continued to defeat slime after slime while his companions merely watched on in worry.
Once all the slimes had been defeated, Albedo approached the Traveller who had stowed away his sword. His notebook had been filled to the brim with observations and theories that he had derived from watching the battle. He needed to return to the camp to retrieve an empty notebook for the next part but first, he needed to check if the Traveller had sustained any injury or felt anything abnormal in the battle. After all, Durin might be dead but his influence still remains strong in Dragonspine.
"Great work, did you feel anything out of the ordinary? If you're injured, I have a few emergency potions ready."
"Just a bit cold."
"I did say to wear a coat but someone said that he could handle it."
Once Albedo and the Traveller's party had returned to the warm camp, Albedo set out to create the potion he needed for the next part of the experiment. He gathered the ingredients in his camp all while the Traveller chatted with his party in the background.
"Can you tell me what he is doing?"
"He's mixing some weird liquids together."
"Amber, we really need to work on your descriptions."
Once the potion had been completed, Albedo held up the bottle while the Traveller stared at the contents in curiosity.
"Pyro? But it seems dormant…"
The moment Albedo requested the Traveller to drink the potion, the Traveller's party became very loud in their protest. He understands their concerns but they were stopping him from explaining that he had already tried the potion just to ensure it was safe for consumption. In the end, the Traveller had to save Albedo from the wrath of his overprotective teammates.
"Are you sure it's safe?"
"Of course! I drank it to ensure that it is safe for consumption. Remember to keep calm at all times, and breathe deeply if you feel unwell."
The Traveller drank the potion without any hesitation on his part and Albedo is unsure how he should feel with the amount of trust the Traveller had placed in him. It was true that he had tested the potion before the Traveller had shown up but most people would hesitate in drinking any unknown liquid. Does he trust everyone he meets? Is that the reason why there is so much life in places where the Traveller ventures to?
After drinking the potion, the Traveller's face was flushed as Pyro energy flowed through his body. It was an expected reaction and Albedo noted down the results as the Traveller's party became concerned over the Traveller's state.
"You said it was safe! What's wrong with him? If you hurt him, Paimon will uh...Paimon will do something!"
"Albedo, if you hurt Aether in any way…"
"It is safe. This was the result I was expecting, and a very positive one at that. This potion channels elemental power into the body. Under normal circumstances, a repelling reaction is to be expected. But if the internal elemental flow is unimpeded, you'll only experience momentary discomfort. Once the flow is complete, there won't be any other effects."
"Guys, I'm fine, please don't kill Albedo. I don't want to have to explain to Jean."
So far, the Traveller was abnormally normal. One would normally expect an outlander, especially one whose origins lie far beyond this world, to react differently to things that only exist in this world. Perhaps the Traveller was bound to the laws of this world? In that way, this too is also an important discovery. If the Traveller still falls within expectation then it would also mean that the answer he seeks still lies within grasp and not beyond the world's boundaries.
"Shall we move on to the next experiment?"
The outburst from the Traveller's party was also within expectations.
Albedo theorised that a living being whose very existence does not originate within this world would have powers and/or abilities that do not exist in this world. However, this theory would hold more weight if the Traveller was not abnormally normal. Still, this must be proven before he could claim that such a thing was not possible. And with that, Albedo departed from the camp to begin his preparations for the next experiment while leaving the Traveller and his party to amuse themselves by examining the various equipment littered around the camp.
Upon returning to the camp, Albedo was surprised to find his camp cleaned and the equipment and documents scattered around the place neatly organised on the table. Amber was attempting to cook and Paimon was offering cooking advice while the Traveller was sitting on the stool watching the two of them bicker.
Albedo quickly rushed in when he realised what Amber was attempting to do and quickly snatched away the meat she was about to shoot with her Pyro arrow lest the whole camp go up in flames.
"Amber, do you not remember the 'incident'?"
"I remember…"
"And do you also remember what the Acting Grandmaster had said?"
"Not to use Visions to cook?"
Albedo wished that he could take out his sketchbook to draw the Traveller's laughing face, to capture the very image of life. But alas, this happened to be the one time he had chosen not to carry his sketchbook on him. Albedo swore to himself to always carry his sketchbook wherever he went so as to never miss out on an opportunity like this ever again.
Putting aside Amber's disastrous attempt to cook, now was a good time to stop for lunch and perhaps the Traveller would fare better as a cook than the Outrider. Perhaps the Traveller would be able to produce food with otherworldly effects or even channel elemental power into the food. However, the Traveller refused to have anything to do with cooking.
"I used to be able to cook but I think it's better if other people do the cooking."
In the end, Albedo was unable to get the Traveller to budge on the matter and had to cook for everyone in the camp.
"Timaeus, don't you know how to cook?"
"Please sir, I'm hungry too..."
No matter how disappointing or inconclusive the results are, he would not force the Traveller into doing something he adamantly refused to do. But he could not help but wonder, would the food the Traveller cook be full of life as well? Would it spark joy? Would it bring life to those who taste it? He wrote those theories down, one would never know if the Traveller would change his mind one day.
With everyone's hunger sated, Albedo can finally move on to the next part. The living beings in Teyvat are bound by the laws of this world. To manipulate elements, people require Visions. Of course, there are exceptions to the rule like the Archons who govern their own elements. But the Traveller, a being from another world, was an exception to that rule. Not only was he able to wield elements without a Vision, he was also able to control multiple elements. Perhaps he has other abilities that are not bound by the laws of this world?
"I used to be able to fly," Aether said as his unseeing eyes stared at the clear blue skies while he leaned against Albedo. "Me and my sister, we had wings and we could fly."
But how does one test for an ability that does not exist in this world?
Perhaps a few quick physical tests would allow the Traveller to demonstrate any otherworldly abilities. The first was to see if the Traveller could affect the world with his mind. The Traveller was quick to deny having such an ability in the first place. The second was to see if the Traveller's senses far exceeds that of a being born in Teyvat and that was how Albedo found out about a certain detail that everyone in the Traveller's party had neglected to mention.
"Albedo, I'm blind. I can't see anything, let alone Sucrose in Mondstadt!"
The Traveller's disability would have been nice to know before he started the experiments. At the very least, Albedo would have taken note of the disability in his findings and adjusted the experiments with that in mind. However, taking into consideration of the Traveller's blindness, how was he able to navigate through the terrain of Dragonspine?
"I have Elemental Sight but I can't see well in Dragonspine. Everything mostly shows up in light blue and I can't differentiate between the Cryo enemies and the snow. But we've been lucky so far, they've mostly left us alone."
"That Frost Lawachurl was very persistent!"
"We almost couldn't find our way to the camp even with Rosaria pointing the way and Amber leading us. Fortunately, I found a trail of Geo energy that you left behind."
"Snow is really hard to navigate and my markers got buried in the snow!"
(Albedo made a mental note to himself to always keep his Vision active when he leaves the camp so the Traveller would always have a path to find his way back.)
The next experiment was to be a test of the Traveller's physical abilities but Albedo was unsure of how to proceed. How much of the results were affected by the Traveller's disability? But that in itself was an inaccurate deduction. Perhaps it is because of the Traveller's disability that the results are what they are.
"I wish to continue with the experiment. Would that be fine with you?"
If the results are what they are then the Traveller, blind or not, might still be able to give him the answer he seeks.
The first part of the experiment was to test the Traveller's gliding ability. Amber and Paimon had insisted on staying close to the Traveller despite Albedo's reassurance that he would be following him from behind. He reluctantly agreed to their demands when Amber promised not to interfere with the experiment.
(Albedo felt worry for the Traveller, even when he knew that the Traveller could handle himself. Internally, he wonders why.)
The gliding test brought some interesting results. The Traveller was a better glider than Albedo had initially expected him to be. Perhaps he was able to see the path he needed to go with his Elemental Sight?
"Albedo, I know you like to read those books from Inazuma but for the last time, I do not have superpowers!"
Albedo led the Traveller and his party to one of the few rivers in Dragonspine where he would conduct the next part of the experiment.
"Do you not know how to swim?"
"I know how to swim but swimming is...can we not do this one, please?"
"If you are worried, I would not let you drown."
"It's not that. It's just...the water, everything looks the same. When I'm underwater, everything is blue and I can't tell what is up or down. It scares me."
"...Very well, let us head back to the camp."
"Thanks, Albedo."
The results were interesting to say the least. The Traveller and his party were unsatisfied by the results but Albedo was delighted. It might not have been the answer to the question his master had asked him to find but it was the answer to the present question that he had wanted to find. The otherworldly Traveller was confined to this world and bound by the laws of the world then the same must be applied to the otherworldly seed. But if the usual methods of gemination does not work, then the answer was simply because the methods to be used were different.
Despite reaching an answer however, Albedo was still curious of the Traveller's abilities. Perhaps one more test before he concludes the whole experiment.
"Albedo, do you remember that puzzle at Dragonspine you told me that you couldn't solve? You actually knew how to solve it the whole time didn't you?"
"Indeed, I knew the answer to that puzzle before you came."
"Hah! I knew it! Paimon, you owe me three hundred mora!"
Albedo returned to the camp ahead of the Traveller with reassurance from the Traveller's party that they would escort the Traveller back. On the way back, his mind was filled with thoughts of the Traveller.
(Perhaps the answer his master asked him to find was the Traveller the whole time.)
The otherworldly seed had sprouted and a flower bloomed, taking its place in the world. But as life is born from dust, it too shall return to dust. The flower withered and crumbled, no longer able to sustain itself in the world it had not originated from. Perhaps it was unable to survive within the boundaries of the world like the Traveller. Perhaps it had already used up all of its energy to grow. But in the end, even it has reached the other end of the cycle. Albedo wished that the Traveller could see the result in bloom but alas, not even alchemy could cure blindness.
It was a few days after a certain incident involving a cursed sword, an ancient Cryo Regisvine and a dumb adventurer, Albedo found the Traveller sitting on the ground and huddled in blankets alone in his camp. Outside, the wind began to pick up as he approached the Traveller. Where were his companions? Why was he alone?
"I almost died today," the Traveller said as the wind continued to howl outside. "I couldn't see where the edge was, the snow all looked the same and I walked right off the cliff. Luckily, there was a tree below and the branches broke my fall."
There was a pause before the Traveller continued. "Amber said it was too dangerous after that. Paimon wouldn't let me continue further. Razor agreed with both of them. They told me to rest here and...they went ahead without me."
The Traveller, once full of life was now despondent. His warm smile was gone and his eyes that once shone with vigor was dead. The hands that confidently held a sword were replaced with arms wrapped around a body that shook in fear. The face that once inspired others was now filled with tears.
"They went ahead without me…"
"Why were you trying to climb the mountain?"
"I heard that you could see everything from the top of the mountain. I wanted to know if I could see everything from the top too."
How would one grant back sight that was once lost? It would seem to be an impossible task and had Albedo never met the Traveller, he too would have thought it to be impossible. Alchemy could create miracles but this was one miracle that even alchemy could not create. However, an answer to a problem could be derived from a different angle thus creating a different answer but with the same satisfying solution to the problem.
"Aether, here, take this."
"What is it? Paper? Albedo, you know I can't read!"
"Use your Elemental Sight."
"Huh? Wha-? Oh...This is…"
"It's an old sketch I drew from the top of the mountain. It was a simple matter to infuse the lines with Geo using alchemy. Is the result to your satis-"
Albedo was immediately silenced when the Traveller reached out and hugged him.
"Thank you. Thank you, Albedo."
Where life is born from dust, it too shall return to dust. But even from dust, life will be born again. Alchemy might not be able to create some miracles but sometimes, the miracles that it can create is more than enough.