Disclaimer: I own nothing.

"The scenery is wonderful..." Kazuha mused. "Enough to convince anyone to become a traveler."

As Ajax and Kazuha rode down the path, Ajax admired the autumn coming. Kazuha did too, in his own way. Maple leaves floating in the wind, Kazuha occasionally catching one and admiring it. "On this mountain path, where the red leaves lifeless lie... My heart calls for a companion, echoing the deer's cry..." Hm... I do love maple leaves, but it is a shame that so many goodbyes seem to happen when they turn red."

"So, Kazuha. Why'd you leave Inazuma?" Ajax questioned. Actually, better question was how he left Inazuma, but he'll ask that another time.

The man pondered on this for a moment. "I never liked to stay in one place for long. Stagnancy dulls both my connection with nature and the blade I wield."

Ajax didn't understand half of that, but nodded. Breathing in the fresh air, Ajax distracted himself from Kazuha's poetic musings. Fall was approaching, and the wind was brisk and clear. He had quickly found that Kazuha was a fan of poetry, though he claimed not to be very good at it. Ajax never really cared, and honestly, it bored him, though he kept that to himself. Though Kazuha definitely sounded poetic and wise.

"Reminds me, where are you from, Ajax?"

Ajax started, distracted. "Hmm? What was that, sorry?"

"Where're you from?" Kazuha repeated. "You seem rather young, yet your family is absent on your travels."

Ajax grimaced, trying to push the dark memories back in the back of his mind. "My family is...no longer around, Kazuha."

"Ah...my condolences." Kazuha nodded sorrowfully. "Death is an inevitable thing, what causes life to be so precious. The past is past, and dwelling too much on it will only lead to suffering."

Ajax nodded grimly, then raising an eyebrow at him. "You are quite frank, Kazuha."

"I like frank people." The samurai smiled. "There is no need to hide what you wish to say."

Ajax grinned back, about to say something about his musings, before someone suddenly came running out of the bushes and tackled them off the horse. Ajax yelped as he hit the ground hard, and the assailant moved toward the horse, who understandably, freaked out at the jump scare. "Give me the horse, now!" He struggled with the reins and Kazuha stood up, annoyed but still calm. Like the wind.

"Excuse me, sir. That horse belongs to my friend, Ajax." Kazuha warned. "I would advise–"

The attacker, a strange stone on his back, spun around and attacked Kazuha with a knife. Years of samurai training kicked in, and Kazuha avoided the strike and clamped down on the attacker's wrist, stopping him immediately. "Stop–"

The lock didn't last long, and the thief stabbed at him with a second knife, forcing Kazuha back. At that moment, however, a large burst of wind threw the attacker back. "Oh dear."

The thief immediately aborted, grimacing in pain, and running off with his stone. "Ah...hope I didn't hurt him too much..." Kazuha sighed.

Ajax couldn't care less. That was rude. Climbing back on Spirit, he noticed a cyan orb hanging from Kazuha's belt. "Is that your vision?"

"Yes it is." Kazuha nodded, pulling himself up the horse as well. "An Anemo vision, to be exact. I affiliate myself with it, the idea of freedom. I believe that is why Barbatos gifted me this."

Mondstadt, the land of freedom. Indeed, it seemed to match with Kazuha's personality. Ajax noticed a second vision next to his first, but this one was gray and dull. "What about that one?"

"That...was my friend's Vision. You know what happens when an allogene perishes..."

Ajax turned away. "I'm sorry."

"It's fine." Kazuha pointed. "We're almost to Dihua City."

Ajax grinned. One step closer.


Liyue Harbor. The most advanced city in the world, most exquisite and the most wealthy, only contested by the Sumeria Academia. Bennett stood in front of the Qixing, finished with his report. "You are absolutely sure of this, Bennett?"

"I am." Bennett firmly confirmed. "The teramancers are hiding below Mt. Cujiue. And I think...they're preparing for a large-scale invasion."

"If the teramancers are planning an attack, we have to strike them first." One member proposed.

"I agree." One of them took pamphlet and handed it to him. "Bennett, take this directive and bring it to the Northland Fort. We will send the army of Liyue to eradicate this threat before it has time to spread."

A small uproar went up in the room as the Liyue Harbor declared war on the teramancers.

Bennett walked out of the room, reading the instructions given to him. "What'd they say?"

Bennett looked up, to find Fischl staring hopefully at him with her one good eye. "Well, they officially have declared war on the teramancers. They've sent us to deliver a message to Fort Northland."

Fischl tilted her head, following him down the stairs. "They actually said it for both of us?"

"Uh–yeah! Looks like we're stuck together for a little longer." He grinned, and she actually looked delighted about that fact.

"Um, so, after we deliver the orders," Fischl shyly asked. "What then? Any plans for what comes next?"

"Oh, I, well, I never really gave it much thought." Bennett shrugged, putting a hand behind his head. "What about you?"

"I'm not sure either." She mimicked his action. "I've been doing this for years. I can't imagine it coming to an end...let alone what comes after."

Bennett turned to look at her, and for a moment, they made eye contact, before awkwardly breaking the link. What if...


The city bell in Dihua City rang bright and clear, as Ajax and Kazuha wandered the streets of Dihua. It was obviously a Liyuean city, the blatant wealth and advanced architecture being a dead giveaway. Millelith seemed a bit more sparse then before, however. Ajax wondered why. "Are you sure we can locate a map here?"

"Likely, yes." Kazuha nodded. "Let's go in there."

He pointed to a public house, and Ajax noticed a person staggering out and collapsing outside the doorway, drunk as fiddler. Hesitantly, he followed Kazuha. Indeed, inside was a bar, with all sorts of peoples and figures. A mercenary sharpened his blade in a corner of the room. A guard warily stood watch, as if expecting an attack. Another spoke to the bartender, narrating a story. Bartenders served their customers with trays full of beer and food, and Ajax swerved out of the way to avoid spilling something.

"Back in the old days, bars and taverns were filled with stories of heroes and villains. People sang of wars, adventure, and even magic." The person gushed.

"And those people used to worry about the 'Twilight Sword'." The bartender dismissed.

"Ah-ah-ah!" The other shushed him. "Don't say his name! It's bad luck..."

"Pardon me," Kazuha walked up to the two. "Would you know where we could locate a map?"

The two stared warily at him and his foreign garb. "Well...Shitou's map shop is right across the street. You could find something there."

Ajax grimaced, clutching his stomach. "I haven't eaten anything since yesterday. Could we stay and eat first?"

Kazuha gestured him to go on. "Make it quick." He shifted at the harsh glares of mistrust being sent his way by...well, everyone.

Ajax nodded, approaching the bartender. "Could I just have some bread, please?"

"Got Mora to pay for it?"

Ajax searched his pockets, pulling out a small amount of Mora. "Is this enough?" The bartender scoffed, which Ajax took as a 'no'.

"Here, Ajax." Kazuha stepped forward, pulling out a small bag. "I have some Mora if you need. Let's get the food and leave."

"That's right." One of the customers, the one who was telling a story, grumbled. "You'd better leave."

Ajax munched on the loaf greedily, chewing as he asked Kazuha, "What was that all about?"

"In most local towns and cities, no one really trusts foreigners." Kazuha explained. "Especially not Inazumans. We have a slight reputation, and it didn't help when we split from the union. But no time to digress."

They walked across the street toward a shop with a map symbol hanging from the roof, so Ajax thought that was a pretty safe bet. They entered, and a man immediately said, "Welcome. How can I help you?"

"We're looking for a map of Teyvat, please." Ajax politely answered.

"Alright." The shopkeeper's eyes quickly darted between them, noticing their foreign aura. His eyes hardened slightly, but that might have just been Ajax's imagination. "That'll be a thousand Mora."

He handed them a folded piece of paper, and Ajax unfolded it, then frowned. "Uh, this is just a map of Liyue."

"If you want all of Teyvat, it'll cost you double."

Ajax narrowed his eyes. "How much?"

The shopkeeper pulled out a larger piece of paper, slapping it to the desk. "3500 Mora."

"You said double, sir." Kazuha interjected.

"And I said, 3500 Mora." The shopkeeper narrowed his eyes. Yep, definitely not Ajax's imagination.

The bell suddenly rang as the door opened, and the shopkeeper immediately returned to a salesman's smile. "Welcome to Shitou's Map Shop. We've got maps of Teyvat for just 1000 Mora!"

Ajax recoiled, not even looking at the newcomer. "Wait, why'd you charge us 3500 Mora then?"

"For you and your friend, it'll be 3500." Shitou snapped. "Now, are you going to buy it or not?"

They didn't have such Mora, so they left. Kazuha sighed. "I should apologize, Ajax. I didn't help that I was there with you. Perhaps it would have been better if I stayed outside."

Ajax threw his hands up in frustration. "This is ridiculous! How are we ever going to get to Aozang without a map?"

"You can borrow mine for a moment." A kind voice spoke behind them. A young girl with long purple hair, tied up into pigtails and with cat-like hair tuffs, stood behind them. It was the other customer.

"Really? Thank you." Kazuha took the map. "Why do you give us this show of grace?"

The girl shrugged, brushing her purple hair aside. "Merchants like to take advantage of young travelers, and it's unfortunate how they treat foreigners."

"Are you a traveler?" Ajax asked.

"For the moment. I'm tracking someone." Keqing gestured to her lynx. "He stole a dragon egg, and I'm trying to recover it."

"A dragon egg?" Ajax's eyes widened. Wait, wasn't that thief... "I believe we ran into someone with one, just earlier. Right, Kazuha?"

The samurai tore his gaze from the map. "Hm...indeed we did."

"You did!?" Keqing's eyes widened. "Where?"

"Not far." Kazuha assured. "Just northeast of here. He tried to steal our horse."

"That's him, all right." Keqing's eyes narrowed, and Ajax decided not to question on the horse-thievery. "Oh...sorry, but I need my map back. Did you find the place you were looking for?"

"I did." Kazuha handed the map back. "It's close by. Thank you for lending it to us."

"You as well." Keqing tucked the paper away. "Good luck."

"An amicable soul." Kazuha noted with a smile. "Shame we didn't catch her name. Let's go. Off to Aozang it is."


Bennett and Fischl neared the gates of Northland Fort. One of the most well built and defended fortresses in Liyue, if not all of Teyvat. The Millelith atop the watchtowers obviously recognized them, and waved for the gate to open. The metal crisscross creaked and lifted up metallically.

"I've always wanted to see the interior of Northland Fort." Fischl noted.

It was indeed, impressive. Bennett didn't want to be the attacking side against this fortress. The defenders would decimate them. A Millelith guard approached them. "You must be Bennett. A messenger bird arrived yesterday and alerted us of your arrival."

"Yep, that's me!" Bennett grinned, and pulled out the paper the Qixing gave him. "I have a directive for the General."

Inside, a large training hall was established. Four people were sparring against each other with wooden blades. Or actually, it was more like one of them was dueling the other three. Bennett watched in awe as the man quickly disarmed, tripped, and threw his opponents away, standing triumphantly above them, without so much as breaking a sweat. It was a brown haired individual, with unmistakable cat ears. "Gorou? You're here?"

"Fancy seeing you here, Bennett!" Gorou turned with a large grin. "And it's General Gorou now, by the way."

"They promoted you?" Bennett blinked. He didn't expect that. "You must have been working hard."

His friend just shrugged, shaking Bennett's hand. "It was nothing. How about you? Finally got out of prison?"

"You've been to prison?" Fischl started.

"It was an accident!" Bennett defended himself. "Most of them."

"Oh, I'm sure he knows most of the local prisons well at this point." Gorou joked. Glancing at Bennett's hip, he recoiled. "Is that a Vision?!"

Bennett's face brightened, forgetting about the pokes and teases. "Yeah! Check it out!"

"Well, would you look at that!" Gorou grinned back. "A Pyro Vision? For you?"

Bennett shrugged. "The gods were having fun on that one."

"Hey, maybe you'll catch up to me soon." The catman smiled toothily. "Though enough of this banter, where's the directive?"

Bennett handed the parchment, then gestured to Fischl. "Alright, we'll take our leave now."

"Hold it, Benentt." Gorou raised a hand, eyes still fixed on the paper. "It says here that you'll be accompanying me on the attack."

"Wait, me?!" Bennett nearly tripped, and Fischl snorted to hide her giggles.

"Let's be professional about this." Gorou chided, but there was a smile on his face. "Just like old times, eh Bennett?"

"I remember our 'old times' being me causing destruction everywhere." Bennett complained. "It's going to be the same, except with fire everywhere."

"Orders are orders." Gorou shrugged. He held out his hand. "Try not to mess things up."

Bennett reached for it, but glanced at Fischl, who returned to disappointed gaze. It seemed this was really where they parted ways.


"According to the map, Aozang should just me right over Qingyun Mountain." Kazuha paused, glancing down. "Though I forgot about the river..."

A great body of water stretched across them, too far to walk around. Odd rock formations dotted the surface, as a shadow of the mountain loomed above them. "How odd...there's no road to the city."

Ajax frowned. He had his Hydro vision, so this shouldn't be too hard. Kazuha had said he was once a sailor, so they shouldn't have much problem crossing. So why did he feel so uneasy...stepping closer to the water, Ajax shook the feeling off, and touched the water, summoning power from his vision.

"Ajax, look out!" Kazuha shouted, and Ajax realized his mistake. A watery fin suddenly sprang out of the water and wrapped around his wrist, pulling him in. "Ajax!" Kazuha cursed. He knew it. How could he be so lax? The reason why they never built a road or bridge was that Bishui Lake was the resting place of the exiled Oceanids, who fled from Fontaine. And if he remembered right, they were very, very territorial.

Meanwhile, Ajax was sinking, the cold water shocking him for moments, before his lungs started screaming at him. Immediately, Ajax summoned his vision power, creating a small bubble around his head, filtering the oxygen in from the water. Taking a few deep breaths to calm himself, Ajax propelled himself toward the surface, only to be nearly crushed against an oceanid. He swam the other way, only to be blocked another one. The Lochfolk had surrounded him. Ajax frantically turned left, right, trying to find an opening. Suddenly, a much larger being floated behind him, and Ajax nearly burst his bubble in fright. Whirling around, he found himself face to face with the Hydro Elemental.

Rhodeia of Loch.

So, kind of a filler chapter here. The next chapter is where things really start to heat up. So...get ready for that.