DISCLAIMER: Genshin Impact is the intellectual property of Hoyoverse. I only own the OCs in this story. Any copyrighted material will be used for transformative and entertainment purposes.

CHAPTER 2

The Art of Friendship

Suffice to say, Azul the Hydro Slime became a permanent guest to my tree hole.

Speaking of, had I already said how much I love him?

Thank God, the little guy was a portable water source! Simply put, I tested him by bundling him in one of the spare clothes, carefully squeezed out the surprisingly clear liquid, and the rest was history. It was a slow process when he wouldn't stay put on a tree bark I used as my cup. Until I could find a river or something, it would have to do.

It was then that I'd gotten my first look into her face.

Intense, sharp purple eyes with prominent cheekbones, thick eyebrows and a natural frown. The tangled mess of chest-length black hair and dark circles made for a haunted, yet striking appearance.

My reflection visibly gaped, and the image felt more like my own.

Her father hadn't been a slouch in the looks department, but the other half of the parentage must have been quite the stunner. Even with how wild and slightly malnourished she appeared, her features were naturally beautiful.

While that was all well and good, I needed sustenance to heal.

The forest was rather generous, I must say. On top of the bits of wood I'd fashioned as kitchenware, food thankfully wasn't a problem. There were a plethora of fruit trees that I collected from, the sunsettias and apples were sweet and succulent. I'd side-eyed a couple berry bushes, but it was harder to judge if they were edible so I let them be.

Heading for civilization had to wait however, as much as I wanted to rush to safety.

For a week, I'd been in recovery mode. A constant state of dizziness from a fever had set in. I'd ended up half-conscious for three consecutive days, lucidity spent eating my rations and cleaning the pus leaking from my ears. Disgusting, but at the very least the latter was healing.

On the fourth day, I checked my ribs. The left part of my chest was a wonderful black and blue color that contrasted my pale complexion. It was also then that I decided to gather supplies for the remainder of the week, and discovered that walking without the adrenaline sucked.

I ruled out internal damage because I'd be dead otherwise. I still couldn't trek for long, but that would be a bigger annoyance for future me.

Presently, I had finally cleaned up the best as I could with Azul's help, donning a pair of shorts and a blouse. It'd been a blessing honestly, with the small amount of soap I'd found at the bottom of the backpack.

During this time, I'd taken stock of my belongings.

There were hygiene items, a handful of tasty but small ration bars, a worn-out scarf, three books and writing implements, and to my delight, a med-kit. It'd been one of many souvenirs she'd obtained, this particular one was from an old lady who ran a clinic in Fontaine.

My stroke of luck ended there however, as soon as I'd removed the lid. I'd been greeted by an assortment of herbs, a pestle, mortar, and a few roll of bandages. Pills weren't a popularized thing yet apparently, so I had to look and see if she had notes.

The first notebook was clearly bound by an inexperienced hand, paper misaligned and the twine looped awkwardly.

I squinted at the letters, only for them to just click.

Pausing, I shook off the lightheaded feeling that came and looked at the words closely. Oh. So the structure of Teyvat's alphabet was very similar to English, just with subtle differences in grammar. Even without assistance, I think it'd be easy to grasp after a couple hours of self-study.

Well, perhaps it's just bias at talk, but anyways.

The entries within were the complete opposite of its cover, written in a steady hand and entries flowing with clear descriptions. From the rainforest of Sumeru to the geysers of Natlan, they painted a vivid picture that appreciated the world around her. A sense of satisfaction mixed with melancholy shone through the cracks.

Skimming through the pages, I'd discovered that the pair had been on the road since her mother passed away. Seemed like they'd been slow due to her father's research and grief. Though Layla tried her best, her father buried himself in his work in an effort not to break down for most of the first year.

Biting my lip, I'd set it aside for a more in-depth reading in the future. From the tightness in my chest and throat, the past needed to be seen first anyways.

So, I cracked opened one of the thick, leather-bound tomes.

Its contents were mind-boggling: research into world theory, legends, and the magic system beyond the scope of a normal nine-year old. They were penned in a similar fashion to the diary with various observations drawn towards the astrological and mythological side, comparing and contrasting them to the more scientifically inclined notes and newspaper articles taped at each corner.

That in turn, made me pick up the other tome. The cover was a dull blue with the symbol of an arrow within a circle, and behind it was a faint hourglass figure. Two gold borders were embossed into it, with two crescent moons at the inner border. An extra layer of black colored leather covered the spine. Carefully carved in the middle was the title: Magic Guide, Version 9.

I flipped to the first page. Annotated at the bottom was a name.

Property of Sofia Rosamund Kader nee Graf.

I blinked slowly.

The whisper of a woman's voice echoed in my mind. "Layla Sabine Kader, if you truly seek knowledge, then one day this book will be yours. But whatever path you take, I will always be proud of you."

Oh.

Almost unbidden, I traced the mother's name. Warm, a bell-like voice yet it dug uncomfortably into my skin.

History there, it seems.

I peeked at the inside of the Magic Guide, marveling at the advancements in elemental theories, but also at Sofia's organized footnotes. There were transcripts that broke down each and every concept, from seals to the aforementioned Sight, and stickers posted next to it that referenced other material and research. To my surprise, a bunch of parchment fell to my lap.

These ones were penned in a loose and fast way, but were legible enough. The familiarity in it told me this was… her father's personal assignments to her.

Almost reverently, I gathered it all up.

Azul chose that moment to come crawling towards me. I smiled, ignoring the way my head swam with the influx of knowledge.

I hadn't thought such a goldmine would be in the palm of my hands. Not only that, now I had an opportunity. Grabbing the self-made diary, I flipped to the empty pages. Using the quill took a bit of adjusting, but when my chicken scratch became legible English, I nearly cried.

Preserving my memories of Genshin would be easier now. Plus, I had the rather pressing issue of connecting myself to the current timeline of events. Incomplete and flawed as they were, getting my foot on the ground would be preferable to being blindsided.

As it stood, I spent a whole two days writing down everything to the last detail.

I'd played through the three nations and other regions they had available. It wasn't halfway of the planned story, but again, better than nothing. The most important area right now, however, was Mondstadt.

Despite being the starting city and an idyll location, it'd been beset by many a tragedy.

Among many of which was the grand total of three dragons terrorizing Mondstadt over the course of canon: Durin, Stormterror, and Ursa the Drake.

The first was the creation of an alchemist named Gold. Durin didn't want to attack the city, it came to Mondstadt while in a dream-like trance in hopes of meeting Barbatos. It would die after Barbatos finally came to the city's aid, accompanied by one of his companions Dvalin. In its final thoughts, the writers revealed that it had thought it was simply playing. Its corpse would be stranded on the mountains of Dragonspine, the corrupted blood tainting the already hazardous land.

If it had been Durin, the strange substances would make sense. Yet it didn't seem right.

Speaking of Dvalin, Durin's taint would spread to the poor thing. Being one of the Four Winds, the protector suffered for years, unheard by the sleeping Barbatos. At some point, it would be brainwashed into attacking Mondstadt, and the people would dub him Stormterror. The main story started from there.

But that was just the thing, it directed its anger at the city proper.

My gut whirled at the last competitor. By process of elimination…

Ursa had been a menace to Mondstadt for centuries, Barbatos didn't kill it like he did with Durin, only driving it off at some point. The reasons for such I hadn't a clue. The monster could talk and had once collaborated with heinous aristocrats in order to attain human sacrifices. It had an army of underlings at its beck and call and even killed one of the playable characters' father.

That's something we had in common. I just hope we never meet to cry over a pint of beer over it.

In any case, it was only killed by a major antagonist, which put the whole city in enemy debt. From conjecture, it might be good at hit-and-run tactics.

Adding on to that, those things I saw flying with the dragon looked alike to the underlings it had in the supplementary manga. A sub-type of hilichurls, which were sentient, almost human-like species with their own tribes. The huge lizard was also purple, of which I'd only seen in a couple of other monsters that were nations away.

I swallowed harshly.

If it was Ursa, then that would put me hundreds to maybe decades before the plot. That narrowed it a little, since I don't think it existed millennium ago.

The infamous Archon War occurred then. A worldwide battle between gods for one of seven seats at Celestia's thrones, and there was no evidence Ursa existed during that time period.

Was it the one who killed everyone?

"Even father?"

Alright, enough.

Absentmindedly, I petted Azul who'd been pressed against my side. It was mildly damp, but better than when he'd hopped to my lap and drenched me in all his bouncy excitement.

Inhale and exhale.

Narrow the scope, doing broad strokes like this would be detrimental at the moment.

With the information laid out like this, Mondstadt would be at varying degrees of danger when I arrive. I could only hope that the Vision bearers of this time were capable, even if they weren't the characters I knew, if only because I needed to find Aunt Etoile.

She was my key to surviving this crazy world.

A practitioner of water magic, an oddity to the laws of Teyvat. The protagonist of the story had been singled out for being able to wield the elements without the aid of a Vision. By all accounts, it wasn't impossible, but most of the non-Vision bearers in the story were either supernatural ones, had close ties with it, or those who'd forsaken their humanity.

Technically speaking, I could simply ask for a Vision. It worked for a certain librarian after all. Turning into an Allogene, a potential candidate for godhood, would mean the power to defend myself from all the crazy shit.

But was it worth the risk?

All powers came with a price. This one came with the two-in-one deal of being spied on by Celestia and potential memory and identity loss if it was taken by force.

A chill went up my spine. No matter how much I rubbed my arms, the sensation only grew stronger.

As the physical manifestation of a person's hopes and dreams, it empowered them just as it became their glaring weakness. Years of someone's life could be cut and leave a hole too large they could descend to madness.

Yet without it, the road to even basic self-defense was a long one. In the grand scheme of things, what was a mortal compared to those graced by the gods?

I breathed in slowly, but it was futile. My heart sped up like a roadrunner on steroids. Azul's cool presence helped me ground myself, if only a bit.

The fact was introduced during the Electro Archon's pursuit of her own selfish goals, a decree spanning two years until canon, with a war to show for it. Even before that, there was a black market for dead Visions. Reigniting Visions, while uncommon, also took place several times in the story.

So, how many fell? How many lost themselves?

I don't know. Of course I don't.

It was easier to accept when there was nothing.

Inhale. Exhale.

Inhale. Ex—ah, fuck.

Subconsciously, I curled up, uncontrollably trembling. I flexed my fingers, repeating the motion with the murmur of numbers. Every feeble gasp burned, and I fought the prickling at my eyes.

Okay.

Alternatives. They existed. Less sacrifice, the better.

Runes or Seals, whatever classification they had, was a promising start. It seemed to be the key mechanic allowing some form of magical invocation.

In Inazuma, there was the art of Onmyoudou. Its abilities was diverse: sub-space creation, turning creatures to stone, being able to use paper seals to coat weapons with elemental energy, and likely more I had no clue of. Same with Liyue's Adeptal Arts and exorcists, or Sumeru's Emerites. There was also the Abyss, but I had no wish to be tainted or cursed.

All of those required connections, or in the last one's case, a trip to the realm below through a rip in the fabric of reality.

I'd like to steer clear of that, thanks.

Aunt Etoile was a special one. Though her father wasn't sure if the woman would be willing to teach, if her way could eliminate the need for a Vision, I was going all-in.

Forming a fist, I stared at my steadying limb grimly.

Their deaths will not be in vain.

.

.

"Are you listening?"

With a start, a 'yes!' burst from her lips. They both blinked at each other, before the woman at the other side of the table laughed. Her bell-like voice melted away the embarrassment from the moment of inattention, and Layla joined in with a fit of giggles.

Mother closed the book in front of her and pushed away the practice sheets.

"Admirable as your dedication is, reading until your candle waned will inevitably wear at you." At that, Layla tried to hide her blush. "Despite the horror stories of the Akademiya's curriculum, there is no book here to return at a strict deadline."

Layla gave a cheeky little smile. "True, but Father is a rather close competitor for that."

"Troublesome old habits," Mother easily agreed. "Even the other day, I was still in the middle of the climactic showdown between the Pierrot and the Hero, and he pried the book from my hands!"

She smothered the guffaw down, shoulders shaking from the effort. That explained why father camped on the couch for the past few nights, a mulish look on his face. "… S-sounds very exhilarating."

Mother's eyes seemed to flicker, expression still pleasant but intense. Meanwhile, a bead of sweat rolled down her neck. "A shame I couldn't see the results of their battle yet. Though I'm now waking up a bit more refreshed."

Brain catching up to her, Layla evaded her mother's concerned gaze.

The woman scooted closer, reaching out to touch her cheeks. A finger gently brushed at the deepening eye-bags. They stayed like that for a minute, before Layla slowly leaned in, watching the dust lazily float from her peripherals.

Her mouth felt dry. "I… I couldn't put the book down."

"Couldn't, or wouldn't?"

The counter left her biting at her lower lip for a couple seconds. Eventually, she begrudgingly searched for the words with the least consequences. "… I wanted to memorize the intermediary's guide to simple runes, maybe something about it would have helped me in learning the Sight."

Sunlight cast a glow on Mother's hair, waves of red framing her sharp features and cascading down her back. Coupled with her mesmerizing purple eyes, it was hard not to buckle under the otherworldly aura she effortlessly exuded.

Sighing, Mother backed away, but trained a lazy-eyed stare that felt more unnerving than neutral. "Since you missed a couple marks on your test today, moving to intermediate level will have to wait. You must pace yourself better." She raised a hand, stopping Layla's retort in its tracks. "Memorization is very different from understanding, especially so for us whose affinities have to be trained compared to non-mortals."

Layla's heart dropped. "However, I can give you some extra references later if you come sit next to me right now."

Reluctantly, she did as Mother asked. The woman's hands guided her head to her lap, and Layla couldn't help but shyly peer up from her prone position. Each stroke of her nails against her scalp sent a familiar shiver, one she hadn't reveled in since she'd been three.

Mother chuckled. "Relax sweetie."

"I'm so—"

She was cut off by a shush and the gentle songs of her homeland. Mother always joked about leaving to become a bard if the fates decided it so.

What were the fates in truth? It'd been a strange thing to fixate on for the past week to the point of sleeplessness, but there was a strangeness to the concept and tradition from the lectures and books. A sort of… diversion so to speak. Surely to perform a divination meant to assess from the source and not a reflection, unless there was a layer unknown? Something about it had made her wonder then, if this had connections to the Vision-granting criteria.

Layla sputtered at the flick to her forehead, eyes wide. Her surprise was met with a gentle smile. "You're too young to be sporting wrinkles."

"I'm too old for this stuff, Mom." No, she was not whining nor pouting!

Though the mischief danced in her gaze, she did not respond, resuming the melody retelling the tale of a wandering troupe. Hundreds of times she'd listened when she was younger, but the trance would never fade, carried by the soothing bell-like voice to be passed in the wind.

Eventually, Layla drifted.

.

.

(I'm sorry.)

.

.

.

From my estimates, it had nearly been three weeks since I'd been meticulously applying a paste made of purple-tipped leaves. The notes bundled together with her father's assignments stated it was from a specially-bred batch of Wolfhook. Thankfully, that corroborated with my memories as a type of painkiller.

The pain in my chest and noggin had been lessening as I'd gone without the paste—didn't want to needlessly deplete my stash.

And great news, I could kind of use my ears again! Without any odd fluids or extreme pain associated.

Babbling out Teyvat's language had mildly spooked me, but practice was necessary. The cadence and enunciation lent itself to more traditional syllabic English, but the stress sounds were slightly more pronounced and rhythmic. Rolling my tongue had never come easy for me before, and even with Layla's experiences I ended up hissing like a dying snake more than anything.

Azul's sloshing and the rustling of trees were a serene aria whenever I took a break, made even lovelier by the chirping of birds. Disregarding the chaos of my first day, everything was quiet, almost peaceful.

Peace wouldn't last though, not with what's out there. Or what's coming in the future.

Although Celestia had been set-up as the final boss, several factions were in direct competition with each other, bringing much grief to the people.

One of which was the Fatui, an organization aiming to dethrone Celestia. They were working for the Cryo Archon, and were seen worldwide as skeevy for many practices which questioned human rights.

I didn't want to think about them initially, but since one of their members would be known as Ursa's killer, I had no choice in the matter.

For one, there was the possibility of a kidnapping to get turned into a test subject. I wasn't certain when in the timeline, but they had their sights on every nation, whisking away those they thought would not be easily missed.

In their pursuit of power, they'd resorted to such in order to develop their Delusions. Imitations of Visions, created with the residue of the Archons combined with grudges of older gods. As much as I'd love to ponder the hows of procuring said material, the ultimate point was, this circled back to finding Aunt Etoile in Mondstadt.

I needed a safety net to protect myself in this world.

And they deserved to know.

So after two days, I'd decided to venture out into the woods in search of civilization. Truth be told, I'd been rather reluctant to leave, but turning hermit wouldn't exactly lead me closer to my current goal.

I wasn't heading out completely defenseless though. Crafted out of a branch as tall as I was, a jagged rock sharpened to the best of my ability and strips of my old clothes, the makeshift spear was as good as it could get.

If there's anything that was the crumbling cake's saving grace, then it was Azul trailing behind me as I'd walked along the forest. I was quite ready for him to return to his slime friends if he really wanted, but it seemed like he'd gotten attached.

Couldn't deny, I was too.

So, me and my traveling companion pressed onwards. We broke through a couple branches, revealing a field of tall grass and the sun shining down. This was as far as I'd dared go before, and past this was unknown territory. From the high vantage point, there were rolling hills and fir trees at the other side, which didn't do much to assuage my hopes for a village or outpost. To my right was a steep drop to the goddamn ocean, fog from the early morning drizzle covering the large landmass that may or may not still be Mondstadt.

In the end, I resigned myself to walking, mapping out the area as I went.

It was a surprisingly relaxing thing to do.

I didn't enjoy nature walks before, partly due to money constraints and mostly because outdoor activities were exhausting overall. A vampire who came out once in a pink moon, they'd called me, which was a far cry to the healthy tan I'd sported now.

Birch trees were a common theme in this part of the area, and I'd been trying to line it up with the few memories I had of Mondstadt's geography and Layla's own. They'd been well past Liyue's borders and had rested at a hunting village before setting off to a 'detour'. Something about sending food over to a camp near a mountain at request of one of the hunters.

They'd even been accompanied by a squad of knights since they were entering Hilichurl territory.

I massaged my temples. The group were Sumeru scholars who'd been interested in researching Hilichurls and the history of Dadaupa Gorge. Her father had been one of those against the whole thing since they hadn't procured a letter of permission, but was vetoed after even the knights reassured them of it.

"Those hilichurls are primitive at best. If we defeat any stragglers or patrols that come our way, they wouldn't immediately notice if we are quick about it." They were young men who had just reached the age of adulthood, eager to prove their worth.

Her father mumbled to himself, praying for a 'Musk' who would undoubtedly fly off the handle if he'd discovered what they were up to.

With the benefit of hindsight, even I could only sigh.

Careless and woefully naive. They had a non-aggression pact with the Hilichurl Tribes for a reason.

Leaving that headache aside, I think I'm somewhere in Galesong Hill. Home of the Three Great Hilichurl Tribes, and species rather wary and most likely jumpy after Ursa's latest appearance. Joy.

My choices for self-defense were rudimentary if they were to attack, so I'd rather avoid them.

That said, I believe I've been walking for three hours now, and as if the universe was mocking me, a figure came ambling by the foliage. I scrambled to hide behind a tree, heart hammering in my chest. Azul, confused, stayed in place.

I hissed at him, beckoning my companion over. He didn't move. For the love of—

The hilichurl came into view. My mouth clicked shut.

Under the wild, shaggy mane was a fairly muscled body, skin ashen and making the old bandages on its arm and legs stick out. Its loincloth was brown and fraying at the edges, held by a belt of fur decorated with a small animal skull. The mask it wore bore faded markings, and its long twitching ears resembled an antenna. It walked with a terrible slouch, long fingers adjusting what appeared to be a sack hidden behind its hair.

It didn't seem to have a weapon, but I wasn't going to take chances. Alright, when it goes past that bush I can sneak by…

Azul began hopping closer to it.

Or not.

Tense, I watched as the hilichurl noticed Azul, and it tilted its head curiously. In an unexpectedly casual motion, it knelt down and allowed my little slime friend to perch near its knobbly knees. The hilichurl spoke in a series of throaty, indecipherable growls, before the words "Movo lata!" sent a spark of a dubious idea my way.

Hilichurls had their own cultural customs and language. There had been an event in the game centered around learning and refining the player and an NPC's understanding of Hilichurlian. I was quite proud about acquiring the handbook, since not only was I rather fascinated about their origins, they also looked kind of cute.

Up close like this and without the anime filter, they were menacing, no denying that. Yet, the one playing with Azul displayed a childlike wonder to them that it still left me kind of flabbergasted. Its ears were waggling, for Archon's sake!

I licked my lips.

This could backfire horribly, my own and Layla's second-hand knowledge from her Mother was patchwork. On the other hand, I could gain safe passage through Dadaupa Gorge and traveling all the way to Windrise would be hassle-free.

Ain't the first time I did something potentially dumb, but I needed to get to the city no matter what.

I gripped my spear. Even if it draws blood.

Disguising my weapon as a mere walking stick simply used a bunch of my old, now tattered clothes. It took less than a minute, and my eyes wandered for any potential peace offerings. I smiled when I found it, and let that split second of enthusiasm take root as I revealed myself.

"Olah?" I greeted.

The hilichurl's head snapped towards me. "Kucha ya!"

A beat. It recognized me as human. I hadn't the foggiest what the second part meant, but it didn't seem aggressive and primarily wary.

"Muhe ye." I blanked out for a second, which was bad if I was trying to say I liked it. "Mi movo… unu."

"Dala?" The sweet flower in my hand was slightly shaking. "Beru si?"

I took another deep breath. Awkwardly, I pointed to myself and braved another step forward, arm still holding out my gift. "Mimi tomo."

"Tomo." It repeated, as if testing my sincerity. Being friends out of the blue was an odd proposition, so I couldn't blame its skepticism.

I coughed. This was a lot more throat-based than I anticipated. A small part of me couldn't help but compare it to a gremlin salivating over a cursed ring. "Muhe ye. Movo lata tomo. Shato."

We both turned to look at the slime. Azul was atop a nearby rock, chasing a butterfly. As if sensing our gaze, the little guy perked up and thankfully, jumped back to me. Stifling a giggle, I slowly knelt down, putting myself at a height disadvantage but nevertheless, treating Azul to a couple pats.

The hilichurl took this scene quietly before standing. Sweat rolled down my forehead. "Ya."

"Dala, tomo?" I asked in turn.

It hobbled over to me, grass crunching under bare, gnarly feet. I suppressed a flinch when it reached out a hand, fingernails thick and chipped. "Tomo!"

Eyes wide, I hesitantly offered the flower.

"Valo, kucha ya!" My new friend took it and stuffed it into his belt. To my disbelief, he started dancing on his toes, waving his hands over his head and back.

By this point. I'd gone back to standing, spear loose in my hand. Should I reciprocate?

I didn't get the time to formulate an answer because my hilichurl friend began beckoning me to follow, tugging on my jacket. Mechanically, my legs operated on autopilot as we'd traversed down a gradual incline. In the distance were high yet sloppily made fences and behind it peeked archaic watchtowers and huts made of wood.

Oh dear.