Astrology is Mona's passion and life. The art of astrology with hydromancy allows her to look at people's fate reflected upon the water surface. Where the clouds cover the stars of the constellations, the water would erase the illusion disguising the fates. Once the illusion clouding the fates are gone, shall destiny be ready to be read. But without the illusion of lies, there would be nothing to hold back the painful truth.
"It is people's fate that shines in the night sky, and though its reflection in water is but an illusion, it reveals the truth nonetheless."
There is a saying: 'Ignorance is bliss'. But Mona disagrees with that statement. To cower behind innocence as an excuse would not stop fate from running its course. Rather, would one prefer to find out the truth at the most inopportune time?
"Sometimes, people lie to protect those close to them even if it means hurting them."
"When was the last time you lied, Aether?"
"I lie all the time. After all, a lie by omission is still a lie."
The first time Mona 'met' the Traveller, she had seen him when scrying from the reflected water. She had been tasked by her master to reclaim a box from a friend many years ago. In order to ensure complete victory, she had sought out the fates belonging to various people until she stumbled upon the Traveller from another world.
From his fate, she saw the Traveller soaring in the skies and amongst the stars with his sister. The twins travelled between worlds, wherever their wings could take them. The stars that Mona saw through the Traveller's fate were nothing that she had seen in the skies of Teyvat or in the reflections of the water surface. However, as she continued to look at his fate, the more his fate became heavily shrouded in fog. Not the fog that is associated with illusion or lies but one that is filled with denial and secrets. Even after clearing much of the fog, the scenes of Teyvat became murky and dark with flashes of colours on occasion. Despite Mona's capabilities, it was hard to see through anything from the water reflection.
"I would still be able to see the fate of a blind person. Yours, on the other hand, is murky and dark. It was as if everything was shrouded by a shadow."
"What does that mean?"
"I don't know but as a prodigy of my art, I will find out."
Mona came to the conclusion that this person would definitely be one of great importance in the future.
When her master bestowed her a task that would take her to the city of Mondstadt where the rumors of the Traveller had originated from, she quickly accepted the mission without any complaint. All she had to do was to challenge the apprentice of her master's rival to reclaim a box and being a prodigy, Mona was sure to win easily. But more importantly, she would be able to clearly read the Traveller's fate once she meets him in person.
"If you had known your opponent was Klee, would you have sought me out?"
"Hmph! Of course I would! Your fate is the most interesting one I have seen so far!"
The first time Mona had properly met the Traveller, she had spent several days in Liyue without seeing neither hide nor hair of the Traveller. Despite using astrology to confirm that the Traveller has not left Liyue and even finding the last known location, Mona was unable to find him. As the deadline for her quest drew closer, she decided that if she was unable to find the Traveller before lunch, she would set forth for Mondstadt.
When the water reflected the Traveller walking past the gates of Liyue Harbour, Mona ran towards the city. However, though she had managed to predict his departure, she had neglected to check for the time of his departure.
By the time the Traveller showed up, Mona was starving, bored and considering meeting the Traveller at Mondstadt instead.
"You kept me waiting so long I almost fell asleep."
"Do I know you?"
Mona introduced herself as a prodigy in the art of astrology. The Traveller and his companion were skeptical of course. No matter, all she had to do was to provide evidence of her skill.
"Haha, as usual, my astrological predictions are proven correct. You're not from this world, are you?"
The Traveller and his companion went from skeptical to suspicious immediately and Mona had to quickly assure them that she is not an enemy. Once both of them finally believed her, Mona explained her reasons for seeking him out. And once the Traveller has assisted her, she will assist him in return.
"I will read your fate and from it, I will have answers for you. Even regarding such distant and foggy matters as gods and kin."
"What about a different fate? If I know the constellation, will you be able to read it?"
"Hmph! Of course I can! But you must assist me first."
With the Traveller's help secured, Mona was ready to set forth for Mondstadt. But first, she had to meet the owner of the inn she was staying at (for a discounted price after the owner realised how broke she was) to bid him farewell before continuing with her mission. It would be rude after all, to disappear on someone especially after the kindness they had shown her.
As Mona led the party towards the inn, she had realised that there was something off about the Traveller.
The Traveller was a quiet man, willing to let his companion fill the silence with her commentary. In fact, if the Traveller decided to slip away at any point, Mona would not notice him leaving. But that was not what was strange about the Traveller. It was the way he walked, like he was cautious about the ground rather than what they might encounter along the well-worn path. It was the way his eyes never met anyone's eyes, not even his companion's. His companion did not seem to mind however, even if it looked like the Traveller was ignoring her.
Another thing that she noticed was that the Traveller's companion seemed really close to the Traveller. Paimon stayed close to the Traveller, sometimes steering him along the path by touching his shoulder.
Mona had her suspicions but she did not want to jump into conclusions just yet.
"Isn't it pretty obvious?"
"I didn't want to assume!"
"But it's so obvious!"
"Shut up Paimon!"
When the party arrived at the inn, they were greeted by the innkeeper who quickly asked if they had seen a jade ring that was apparently eaten by a slime. Mona was aghast when Paimon suggested that she use the sacred art of astrology to find the missing ring. To even dare suggest such a thing! She would rather starve than to stoop so low as to use astrology for something so minor.
"I understand what you mean," Albedo had answered after Mona had spent the entire lunch ranting at him. "But I believe that your statement would hold more weight if you had not just begged me to buy your lunch."
(No one pointed out how quickly Mona changed her mind when the innkeeper offered mora for finding his ring.)
At first, Mona had wanted to use her hydromancy to find the ring by viewing the innkeeper's fate but Paimon was bragging how the Traveller is an expert at finding lost objects. She assigned him the task instead, awaiting the moment he would give up and consult her aid.
She was not expecting the Traveller to summon an army of aggressive slimes then proceed to beat all of them up until he found the ring. Perhaps she should have viewed the innkeeper's fate to find the lost item instead of relying on such brutality.
"Admit it, you enjoyed watching me fight."
"Hmph! I suppose that there is some beauty in your style of combat."
After returning the ring (and finding out that the owner had hundreds of identical rings), Mona left the inn with the Traveller's party several thousands of mora richer. The feeling of being able to afford food once more (beyond the cheapest options and sometimes skipping meals altogether) placed her in a good mood.
It was not that Mona had no mora, in fact, she had a side job that let her bring in enough mora to retire. However, astrology equipment is very expensive and she could not bring herself to resist the temptation to buy them.
"You know that you can't eat equipment, right?"
"I am well aware of that."
"...Do you want me to treat you to lunch again?"
"I knew there was a reason why I made you my apprentice!"
Mona was still high on the ecstasy of having so much money on hand that she offered to treat the Traveller and his companion to lunch. Had she checked the fates surrounding the Traveller that day, she would have never offered. Alas, that day remained one of her many regrets she remembers in her lifetime.
By the time the party arrived at Wangshu Inn, Mona was so hungry that she could barely bring herself up the steps of the inn. A server ushered them to an empty table and distributed the menus to them. Strangely enough, the Traveller refused the menu and was content enough to let his companion decide what to eat. Mona supposes, that there was no need to look at the menu if Paimon decides to order one of everything on the menu.
"Just how much are you planning to eat!?"
"Don't worry, Paimon can finish everything!"
Unfortunately, after having been caught off-guard by the miniature form of gluttony, Mona realised that she would be unable to foot the bill if she ordered her meal. Tears sprung unwillingly to her eyes when she also realised that she would have to starve again. She was saved when her hero came in the form of a blonde haired adventurer by the name of Aether who graciously offered to share the food she was paying for.
"Paimon is lying, she can't finish everything."
"Paimon is not lying!"
"Paimon!" Aether mocked whispered to his floating companion. "Get the hint!"
"Oh! Paimon can't finish everything. Can you help us finish?"
"I could hear everything you just whispered!"
The feeling of a full belly was one Mona had not experienced in a long time. She was blissfully content and was ready to take a nap but she still had a mission to complete. The party departed from Wangshu Inn, making their way towards Mondstadt. The journey was filled with chatter as Mona struck conversations with the Traveller and his companion in a bid to gather some information on him. And how strange it was. Mona could gather information on anyone (except for a few selected people) through their fates and people whose fates she could not read were few and far between. And yet, here in front of her, stood two people whose fates were undetermined.
The party reached Stone Gate and crossed into Mondstadt's borders by late afternoon. Mona was not sure why Paimon had initially insisted that they rest, only to have the Traveller decline and insist that they continue the journey.
"Aether, you need to rest!"
"I'm fine!"
"You haven't taken a break since leaving Liyue Harbour!"
"Paimon, I'm fine. I haven't used my Elemental Sight much."
"You shouldn't be using it at all until you've recovered!"
As they were nearing the Dawn Winery, they met a group of merchants. When they spoke, their words were coated in lies and half-truths. It disgusted her how easily they could weave lies from their mouths. A quick look into their fates told Mona what their objective was and who was she to not reveal the truth of the matter?
"Picking up people on the road who appear vulnerable, robbing them blind once they've gotten on the cart, and then taking them to some archon-forsaken place - is that your deal?"
The Traveller picked up on her words quickly and drew his sword to attack the bandits while Paimon flew into the air to get to safety. Mona fought with her Hydro Vision and though she knew she needed to focus on the battle, her eyes would drift towards the Traveller.
Mona had thought that the Traveller was brutal in his fighting style when he fought against the slimes but she was wrong. Brutal would mean that he was without mercy in his fight but this time, the Traveller fought like he was holding back. At times, a hit would come close to him and he would narrowly avoid it at the last minute. It was as if he was expecting something to happen, only for nothing to happen and he was forced to make a move lest he get stabbed by the pointed end of a sword. Paimon would shout out warnings at times and the Traveller would respond to them. At times, she had to avoid getting hit by some of the archers but Mona was quick to defeat them.
The bandits were easily defeated, their skill levels were far beneath her capabilities. The enemies were rounded up and encased in Geo, courtesy of the Traveller. Paimon flew back to Stone Gate to call the Millelith over while Mona stayed by the Traveller's side. As Paimon disappeared, Mona glanced over at the Traveller who had moved to sit under a tree. His eyes were closed and his hand was pressing down the bridge of his nose. The Traveller explained that he used Elemental Sight to see but he had strained it in a previous battle and had yet to recover.
"When I was told that I might lose my sight forever, I wanted to laugh. 'Haven't I already lost it?' I wanted to say that."
"Did you say it in the end?"
"No, there wasn't any point. They wouldn't understand."
Mona allowed the Traveller to rest as she kept watch on the encased bandits. And yet, she could not help but let her mind drift to the Traveller. The Traveller was blind, but it had to be recent. The fate that she saw, the Traveller still had his sight. So what had happened when his fate became so shadowed that she could not peer through the darkness? Was it related to his disability?
"Destiny and truths are written in the stars. Perhaps it is because you come from beyond it? No, that's not it either."
In the end, there was no explanation she could come up with to answer those questions.
After the bandits were taken into custody, the party continued to the city of Mondstadt unhindered. By the time they reached the gates of Mondstadt, it was nearing dusk. It was all according to plan however as Mona had already foreseen the person she was supposed to meet prior to meeting the Traveller. She was however, not expecting a child to show up at the very spot and at the time that destiny had foretold.
"Oh! It's Paimon and big brother Aether! You're back!"
"Hi Klee!"
Surely there must be some kind of mistake. How could a mere child compete against her? Perhaps she too is some kind of prodigy like her!
Klee denied that however, claiming to have no knowledge of anything related to astrology. Though she did admit that her mother, Alice, is indeed the rival of Mona's master. But that was all the relationship Klee had with regards to Mona's master. She was not Alice's disciple in the field of mystical arts, nor does she have any experience in the art of astrology. Still, all hope was not lost when Klee recalled a box she was entrusted with by her mother. The very same box that Mona's master had entrusted her with the mission to retrieve.
Klee ran away to retrieve the box with the Traveller and his companion following after her. Mona had wanted to follow them at first but the Traveller had shown himself to be independent and capable despite his disability. Had he not told her that he is blind, Mona would never have found out.
"Isn't it pretty obvious though?"
"Shut up Paimon!"
"If Paimon says it's pretty obvious then it must be," Aether laughed as Mona pouted. "She's usually quite dense in a lot of things."
"Hey!"
Mona spent the time waiting for the Traveller to return by gathering up the things that Klee had dropped in her haste to retrieve the box. In her boredom (and curiosity), she flipped open the book that was amongst the things that Klee had dropped and began reading the pages. Perhaps the book might offer some insights into the arts that Alice had practiced. Disappointingly, the book was but a diary that was written by a teenager without a doubt. The words were cringey and the experiences were enough to give Mona secondhand embarrassment.
Alas, astrology could not be used to determine the contents of the book else Mona would have never touched it at all. This day remained as one of the many regrets Mona had in her lifetime.
The Traveller and his companion returned with Klee just as Mona had finished reading the diary. Unfortunately, the box that her master had sent her to retrieve was deprived of its contents. Klee then revealed that the item Mona sought happened to be the very item she was holding in her hands, the very item she had finished reading mere seconds ago.
"Oh. You want the thing that used to be in the box? ...You should've said so."
"You haven't... broken it, have you?"
"No! It's not broken at all! It's the book in your hand."
"Whaaaaaaat-?!"
Mona felt a sudden sense of impending doom. With no other choice but to wait out the days of her master's life, she decided to stay in the city of Mondstadt. As the Traveller is familiar with the city, Mona roped the Traveller into finding accommodations for her. Klee had run off, not wanting to anger 'the scary blue witch'.
In the end, the Traveller had come through for her and did manage to find accommodations in the form for a house with a cheap rent. Removing the Hydro seal blocking the door was child's play for her.
"Thank you for your help, Traveller. As promised, I will read your fate."
"Not my fate, a fate whose constellation I know."
"Certainly, whose constellation is it?"
"My sister's, Viatrix. I...don't need to know her future, I just want to know if she's still alive."
"Hmph, something like that is easy for me to find out."
"Thank you, Mona. You're a really nice person, you know that?"
"Hmph! O-of course I am!"