A/N: I just realized that the World Tree Yggdrasil is already in the game after a deep dive into Genshin's lores, so I decided that in this fanfic, the Petrified trees and anything related to Ley Lines, in this case Blossoms and Outcrops, will be some kind of "copy" of the real World Tree artifact. And if you're wondering why the World Tree is an artifact, well… Let's just say that somehow the World Tree was contained inside a glass ball and we could tap into its power.

Chapter 5

Aether couldn't believe his luck. He had been the target of the Fatui Harbingers for months, but he didn't expect that his stalker somehow was able to keep himself invisible from Aether's field of detection.

'Il Dottore… I think Childe told me that this guy tampered with those ruin guards…'

Aether knew that he wouldn't be able to escape this place unscathed. But it didn't matter. The moment he feels like he's in deep waters, he will teleport out of there instantly.

Thinking so, Aether felt a bit more confident. Yeah, what was there to be afraid of? He was able to deal with Childe and La Signora. What could this doctor possibly do to him? It didn't matter if he's stronger. Il Dottore probably couldn't fight anyway.

"What are you here for?" Aether asked, his tone cold and harsh.

"You ask why I'm here?" Il Dottore looked as if he had heard the funniest joke in his life. "Of course, to meet you here. It's obvious. You were always with someone, so this should be the first time I actually see you all alone since I started 'watching' you."

At that, the man laughed. "What were you trying to find, Traveler?"

"None of your business. I know you didn't just come here to meet me. State your real reason or I'll slice your head off." Aether threatened.

Il Dottore didn't seem a tiny bit intimidated by this. "Haha, seeing you giving me warnings is cute. It's like a kid trying to stop an adult from taking his toys. It is I, Traveler, that is the Predator here, and you're just a Prey that will be under my thumb soon enough."

Aether was nervous. He didn't know what this guy is capable of, and that meant he was at the mercy of the Doctor. Of course, there was also the chance of him just bluffing, but Aether wouldn't be so brave to find out. He needed to play his cards right to get out of this safely.

"But to answer your question, I am not here for you indeed. I'm here because this used to be one of Rhinedottir's secret labs, which meant that there must be something valuable here. I also want to covet all her works for myself." He stated nonchalantly. He didn't seem to care whether Aether would know or not, since he was not gonna make it out.

The opponent is looking down on him. And that's a chance to catch the Harbinger of guard.

Aether teleported right behind him and did a horizontal strike. However, before he could register what was happening, he was already pinned down on the floor.

'WHAT!? When did that happen!?'

"It seems like someone is being impatient. As I said, you're the Prey, not the Predator. Did you really think that I'm looking down on you, Aether?" Il Dottore brought his face near Aether's. "It's not arrogance, Aether. It's called absolute confidance."

He laughed while holding the blonde Traveler in place.

"You're probably wondering how did this happen. It's simple, really. It was just an illusion that you striked. My real body was hiding in the crack of the Void."

Aether was stunned. Isn't that what only the Abyss is capable of?

"Oh, right. Your sister was the Princess of the Abyss, was it? I still haven't gotten my hands on her." He laughed again. "Yet."

Aether gritted his teeth. "If you want to even touch her hair, you have to walk through my corpse first."

"If it's as easy as that, then I wouldn't mind turning both of you into my puppets." The Doctor giggled. "It would be funny to see the reaction of the people you love so much when they see that you have been turned into an emotionless doll of mine."

The Traveler shivered. This person is too cruel.

The man in blue stood up from Aether's back. Feeling the weight being lifted from him, he rolled backwards, and stood up defensively.

"As sad as it is, I don't have much time left to play with you. I have collected what I needed, so now I must come back to my lab to do some experiments."

"Until next time, Traveler. I hope that next time we meet, you will be able to struggle for a least a minute."

After saying that, the man opened a portal to the Void, and after stepping inside, the portal vanished.

Watching the scene unfold before him reminded Aether of his sister. He needed to warn her of this potential threat.

But after thinking for a bit, he realized he didn't actually have any ways of contacting her.

'I guess I'm gonna examine the branch first.'

Item: Branch of the [World Tree] [SSS-Rarity]
Description: A branch that came off from the [World Tree], Yggdrasil. It seemed to still hold a part of the tree's power. Maybe something will happen if it comes into contact with another living being.

That was the description of the mysterious branch. Should Aether touch it? What if he turns into a tree? What if the branch suddenly sucks out all of Aether's life force?

Tons of questions were floating around his head. Before him was the glass box that was used to hold the branch of the World Tree. It was still the same as before he put it into his storage space.

'Alright, I'm just gonna touch it to see what would happen.'

Aether removed the lid, and observed the thing for a bit. It seemed to have shone a bit when he opened the box, but it returned to its original glow right afterwards, and he could have missed it if he wasn't concentrating on it.

Taking a deep breath, the Traveler reached his hand out towards the tree branch, and finally, his hand and the wood came into contact with each other.

A few seconds passed without anything happening. Just when he thought that he was lied to, the branch emitted a blinding light, which rendered his eyes unable to see for a moment. When his eyes readjusted, the branch was nowhere to be seen. Instead, he heard some notifications.

[The host has successfully integrated with the branch of the World Tree! New skills have been added to the stat board!]

["Traits" section has been unlocked. The host can now see all the traits available.]

[The host received the unique title "Favored Child of the World Tree".]

[The unique title "Beloved Child of Mana" has fused with the unique title "Favored Child of the World Tree" to create the unique title "The Chosen One".]

[The criteria have been met. One of the locked unique skills is now unlocked.]

'Hmm? They fused? One of my locked skills is also unlocked.'

Unique titles weren't easy to get. However, it would be even rarer when 2 unique titles fused. Usually, the product would be a unique title with the traits of the first two.

He opened his stat board again.

Host: Aether
Level: 75
HP: 38125/38125
Mana: 46250/46250
Stamina: 2775/2775
Weapon: Skyward Blade
Elements: Pyro, Hydro, Cryo, Electro, Geo, Anemo, Dendro, Light
Titles: The Traveler, Honorary Knight.
Stat:
Strength: 265
Stamina: 220
Dexterity: 194
Agility: 247
Perception: 332
Mana: 508
Unallocated Stat Points: 0
Skills:
1. Basic Healing [E-Rank] [61.72% proficiency]:
Heals injuries like scratches or bruises instantly. Can be applied to another being by touching the wound. There is a 20% chance that it will leave scars after healing.
2. Inspection [C-Rank] [100% proficiency]:
Allows user to look into the information of all living beings and items. More information will be displayed when the proficiency rises. However, the host can only see brief information if the person/creature being inspected is higher in level.
3. Storage [SS-Rank] [32.84% proficiency]:
Allows user to create a storage space. The higher the proficiency, the bigger the space.
4. Weapon Mastery [S-Rank] [5.34% proficiency]:
Easily use any weapon. The higher the proficiency, the easier it is to use them.
5. Teleportation [SSS-Rank] [20.45% proficiency]:
Allows user to teleport to anywhere that have been travelled. The higher the proficiency, the farther they can travel. Consume 30 stamina per use.
6. Elemental Mastery [SSS-Rank] [9.03% proficiency]:
Allows user to wield any elements. The higher the proficiency, the faster the casting time. Power also increases with proficiency. Consume 300 mana every time the host use an element.
7. Elemental Sight [S-Rank] [39.13% proficiency]:
Allows user to track the recent use of any element. Consume 200 mana every 5 seconds.
8. Martial Arts Mastery [S-Rank] [0.00% proficiency]:
Easily learn any martial arts. The higher the proficiency, the easier it is to learn them.
9. Plant Worshiper [A-Rank] [0.00% proficiency]:
Allows user to hear and understand the language of plants. Can only talk to plants after reaching 50.00% proficiency.
10. Green Hands [C-Rank] [0.00% proficiency]:
Any vegetations the user plant will grow faster than normal vegetations. The yeild will also be larger.
Unique Skills:
1. Imitate [SSS-Rank] [0.00% proficiency]:
Copy any sound and face of any human. The higher the proficiency, the better the imitation. At some point, when proficiency is high enough, the host can even copy the target's behavior.
Ultimate Imposter: [Locked] [Unlock at 100.00% proficiency]
2. The Holy Sword [?-Rank] [100.00% proficiency]:
The host can now use the element [Light]. Easily dispel demonic spirits and corruption. Since the skill was already mastered and was only in the [Locked] state, the proficiency is already 100.00%
- [Locked] -
- [Locked] -
Unique Titles:
1. The Chosen One [?-Rank]:
The title holder is the true owner of the World Tree, designated by the Tree itself.
Allows the holder to use the mana already existing in the air, which reduce the mana cost of all mana-consuming skills by half. Also reduce the time of being affected by abnormal conditions and reduce the damage. Any attacks using Dendro now also inflict poison to the enemy.

╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝
Aether had finally unlocked one of the skills that he once possessed before coming to Teyvat. He kept a calm face on the outside, but inside, he was celebrating like crazy.

However, his happiness was short-lived.

[The Gods of Celestia are now watching you warily.]

The Gods have finally put their eyes on him.