Sweet Dreams That Won't Come True

by RedFlowerInk

Albedo had always been a secretive person. Sucrose had long since accepted this about him, for she herself was no stranger to harbouring secrets. So although she rarely said it, she felt that the suspicions directed at her mentor by people like Sister Rosaria were quite unwarranted. She didn't think there would come a day when Rosaria would be proven right.

All Sucrose wanted was to build her own paradise.

Her own personal heaven, a small corner of the world crafted by her own hand, made to look just as it had appeared in her mind's eye for years.

She had never once thought of giving up on this dream - but Sucrose had grown since then, and with age comes the dwindling of youthful fire. To her discontent, her dream was beginning to seem like a foolish child's fantasy. Just how many people, alchemists or not, were capable of bending the world to their desires?

She once heard of a theory from another world, which taught that all physical objects are mere imitations of their conceptual form. What is a sword? A steel blade used for combat. Does the perfect sword - that is, the purest concept of a sword, flawlessly incarnated into the physical world - exist? No, all real swords have their defects. What about the perfect bow? Shard of Starsilver? Windwheel Aster? The ideal form of an object cannot exist, nor can it be forced to exist.

Could she ever create a paradise that would satisfy her dreams? Could she ever hope to realise that grand image of ineffable beauty that spread out and unravelled in her head every night?

After all...how could she be capable of such a thing when a task as simple as this already had her paralysed with fear?

"Three...three Everflame Seeds, one vial of Valberry extract, one Mist Flower, and nine Luminescent Spines...that is all. Thank you."

Sucrose stopped her pacing and looked at the tall, dusty mirror that stood in the corner of her personal laboratory. She took note of her appearance, as though observing variables for an experiment - her posture, her facial expression, her tone...

...no, her tone was unacceptable.

'That is all?' What am I saying? She berated herself, cowering from some invisible attacker behind her hands. Won't that sound like I'm giving orders to the Acting Grand Master?

Sucrose straightened up again and cleared her throat. She turned and paced towards the other side of the lab.

"Um...if I may, I'd like to take some extra resources from the Knights' alchemical inventory. I require three Everflame Seeds, one vial..."

No, that's too long-winded. I shouldn't waste her time like that...

She turned and continued pacing a third time.

"Four Everflame Seeds - wait..."

She groaned and slumped forward, grabbing onto the edge of an astray chair. How was she still so hopeless at approaching people at her age...?

A light pressure on her shoulder made her jump. Her ears fluttering excitedly, she looked at the mirror and saw Albedo standing behind her, his hand on her shoulder, his usual unbothered expression on his face.

"Hello, Sucrose," he greeted.

"G-good morning!" Sucrose squeaked, clasping her hands over her ears. How did she not hear him walking into her lab?

Albedo gazed around at the half-dozen vials Sucrose had set up along her wall, each one exposed to a different level of sunlight through sheets of black cloth draped over the windows. He had a look of mild curiosity on his face.

"An interesting experiment as usual," he said, and he looked back at Sucrose. "Do you need something from Master Jean again?"

"Y-yes," Sucrose said a little abashedly. "Could you help me ask her for more resources?"

He nodded. "I assume you need Valberries as an indicator for the reaction. Is there anything else?"

"Three Everflame Seeds, one Mist Flower, and nine Luminescent Spines," Sucrose recited with no difficulty.

"Understood," said Albedo. He turned to leave, but seemed to remember something as he glanced back at Sucrose.

"Oh, that's right - I'm taking Klee outside the city later with Mona to let her play for a bit. Would you care to join us?"

A little startled by the sudden offer, Sucrose blinked profusely.

"Um...I'll have to pass, I'm terribly sorry. I have to finish this experiment before sundown," she said, although part of her refusal was out of sheer surprise.

"I see. That's quite a shame." Albedo's face changed to one of mild disappointment, but his usual nonchalant expression quickly returned. "Do try to make some time to join us next week, though."

"Of course, Mr Albedo."

"Thank you, Sucrose. I'll have your materials sent here within the hour."

With that, Albedo left the lab. Sucrose continued to gaze at his back as he ascended the steps to Jean's office, until the hem of his white coat disappeared from view.

Sucrose smiled lightly to herself. She truly appreciated Albedo's presence - he was as much the catalyst that enabled her experiments as she was his own assistant. She sometimes wished she could repay his kindness...perhaps she should have taken up his invitation?

Oh, but it would be too awkward to look for him now. Pushing the thought out of her mind, she sat down at her desk and began eagerly drawing up a table for her experiment.

There's always next time.

---

Halfway up the stairs, just out of sight, Albedo was having a violent coughing fit. His hand was clamped over his mouth as he shuddered and retched fiercely, barely stifling the noise. He felt something old and foul rising in his throat - the vile discharge spewed from his mouth like hot acid, drenching his gloved hand.

With a great shuddering breath, he ripped off his glove to look at his dripping palm. Numerous cryptic symbols had appeared, etched into his skin in midnight black.

He felt a fearful chill, worse than any cold he had ever braved on Dragonspine.

I'm running out of time.

---

Sucrose stumbled down the corridor to Albedo's laboratory, sheets of diagrams and calculations slipping from her arms as she struggled to keep the towering stack of experimental records intact. Approaching the large polished doors at the end of the hallway, she pushed them open...

...something sharp and glass-like came flying towards her face, and she ducked with a scream. There was a dull thud behind her. With heavy breaths, she looked over her shoulder to see a glittering icicle lodged deep in the hallway wall.

"Oh. It's just you."

Sucrose turned again, the faint stench of cigarette smoke hitting her nostrils. Rosaria's slit-like eyes greeted her from the shadows of the laboratory, her right hand stretched out towards Sucrose as she held a lit cigarette in the other, kneeling over a crate of Albedo's personal effects.

"S-S-Sister Rosaria?" Sucrose squeaked, hastily setting her records down on Albedo's desk while keeping her eyes on the unexpected visitor. "Um...why are you looking through Mr Albedo's personal things?"

"Who knows?" Rosaria answered obstinately. "I certainly have no need to explain myself to Albedo's lap dog."

Lap...'dog'?

Sucrose instinctively cupped her hands over her ears.

"Hmm...this is a little troublesome," Rosaria muttered, contemplating Sucrose with her icy gaze. "Be a good girl and pretend you never saw me here, okay?"

"Wh-what?"

"I think I spoke clearly enough. Or do you need a bribe? Anyway, just leave me to my work."

Turning away from Sucrose, Rosaria peered inside the crate for a second, then snatched out a glowing green crystal and stowed it under her robes.

"Hey!" Sucrose ran forth to stop her, shocked. "That's stealing, you can't just-"

She froze in place as Rosaria rose to her full height and turned, creating an icicle and pointing it at Sucrose's throat. Her voice slipped away from her like one of her short-lived wind spirits.

"My utmost priority is the safety of Mondstadt," said Rosaria. "I will personally see to it that all threats are taken care of. Get in my way, and I will treat you as Albedo's accomplice too."

"A-a-accomplice? But...Mr Albedo isn't up to anything-"

"How do you know that?" Rosaria interrupted her. "Secretive behaviour aside, your mentor keeps some very interesting things in his private stores - Rifthound claws, Naberius Stones from Sumeru, alchemical recipes written in a language not recognised anywhere in Teyvat...were you unaware of all this, or are you just playing dumb?"

"The...the recipes could be written in code, maybe they're for dangerous potions-"

"And what about the rest?" Rosaria asked, her cold gaze narrowing . "I know you're more intelligent than this, don't be blinded by your loyalty to that man. Just run along back to your lab and change the colour of a flower or something."

Something hot and boiling suddenly rose up in Sucrose's throat. Without thinking, she glared back and spoke:

"With all due respect, Sister, my experiments-"

The doors behind her creaked. Sucrose whirled around and met Albedo's gaze as he slipped into the lab, several heavy crates on the floor beside him.

"Hello, Sucrose," he said. "Who were you talking to?"

"Huh?" Bewildered, Sucrose turned back around to look at Rosaria - only to see a thin cloud of frost quickly evaporating into the air.

"Nothing...I - I mean, no one." She cast her eyes around for a change of subject, then gestured towards the stack of papers on Albedo's desk. "Um...I've finished compiling those records you asked for."

"Oh. Thank you," Albedo said as he moved one of the crates into the lab. "I had some things to collect on my own, and the Knights mistakenly passed your materials to me. Shall we take them down to your lab together?"

"Huh? Um...sure!"

With an effort, Sucrose lifted up one of the two remaining crates while Albedo took care of the other, and they left his lab together.

Sucrose kept her head down during the walk back, dwelling on what Rosaria had said. Even when they were back in her lab and she was free to continue her experiment, she couldn't quite muster her usual enthusiasm as she ground up a fresh Everflame Seed into heating powder, instead distractedly breaking it into uneven chunks with her pestle.

Frankly, she didn't mind Rosaria's suspicions towards Albedo. Sucrose knew that distrusting people was like breathing to Rosaria - just last week she saw her chewing out Noelle just for going out of her way to clean the cathedral's crypt. No, it was what Rosaria said after that that made her feel shaken.

"Just run along back to your lab and change the colour of a flower or something."

Did Rosaria think that little of her work? Was that how she appeared to outsiders? Her doubts must be true then, that the paradise she was chasing was an intangible fantasy. After all, if her alchemy was that inconsequential...

Sucrose added the lumpy remains of the Everflame Seed to her vials. The liquid began to sizzle with an erratic rhythm.

Stealing a glance behind her, she saw Albedo sitting on a chair in the corner, preoccupied with sketching something on his clipboard - probably some strange creature that he had chanced upon on Dragonspine that morning.

"Mr Albedo?" she cut through the silence, her voice slightly higher than usual. "Can I ask you something?"

Albedo looked up from his sketch. "Ask away."

"If...if you were to spend your entire life creating your magnum opus, and it...fell short of what you envisioned, because what you had dreamed of all this time was too...perfect, would you deem it a failure?"

The lab fell silent, save for the bubbling of the vials. Sucrose stood staring at them, wondering what on earth Albedo was waiting for. For a horrible moment, she wondered if she had insulted his skills...

"Sucrose, come sit over here."

Sucrose felt a jolt shoot up her spine, and she turned to stare wide-eyed at Albedo.

"Relax. I just want to sketch you."

Confused, but not so frightened anymore, Sucrose drew up a nearby chair and sat in front of Albedo, placing her hands in her lap.

"Perfect. Now, sit like that for a while."

Albedo looked carefully at Sucrose for a few more seconds, then he turned the page on his clipboard and got to work. The sound of his swift strokes soon filled the room, masterful and rhythmic - after a few minutes, he brought his black chalk off the paper with one last flourish.

"Done. Have a look."

He turned the clipboard and let Sucrose see his sketch. Immediately, she was floored by his talent - he had captured her likeness perfectly - though she doubted she ever looked that beautiful.

"Well?" Albedo asked. "Would you say this sketch is perfect?"

"O-of course!" Sucrose said immediately, and she was not lying.

"Really? Already I can see that I didn't fully outline your right ear...your left lens is slightly lower than your right...and so on. As the creator of this work, I have to pay close attention to each step of the process, and thus I notice every little blemish and flaw. Do you see what I'm trying to say?"

Sucrose stared at him quietly for a moment, then she nodded.

"Understood. I'll be sure to keep that in mind. Thank you for your advice."

"No problem. Although...it's not like you to suddenly voice your doubts like that. Did someone say something to you?"

A half-formed lie rose to Sucrose's lips, but she swallowed it - she knew there was nothing she could hide from Albedo.

Albedo sighed lightly. Flipping through his clipboard again, he pulled out a sheet of paper. This one was red. Holding it in both hands, he began to fold it carefully...

After a minute, Sucrose took a look - and what Albedo held in his hands was a beautiful paper replica of a Windwheel Aster. Sucrose already thought it was masterfully made, but then Albedo lifted up the red paper flower between his fingers, staring at it with a calm focus. A few golden sparks emitted from his fingertips. Then, a lush green stem grew out of thin air, connecting with the paper flower, giving rise to a magnificent half-real, half-artificial Windwheel Aster. Sucrose gazed wordlessly at the unique creation, amazed by Albedo's craftsmanship.

Albedo got up from his seat and walked over to Sucrose. He handed her the flower, giving her a warm, encouraging smile.

"Sucrose, your abilities are far greater than most alchemists twice your age. To call that impressive would be an understatement. You don't need to believe everything others say, okay?"

A smile crept across Sucrose's face, and she felt herself blush. "Okay, Mr Albedo."

"Sucrose, we talked about this. Don't call me that."

"But-"

"Sucrose."

Sucrose hesitated, staring into the deep emerald gleam of his eyes - then slowly, she parted her lips.

"Al-"

The door to the lab burst open with a bang. Sucrose jumped and hid the paper flower behind her back. Albedo just barely managed to turn around as a tiny red blur slammed hard into his midriff, making him reel backwards and laugh.

"Albedo! Big Brother Albedo! Can we go outside and play now, pleeeeease?" Klee squealed, bouncing up and down in excitement.

A ripple of water slithered in through the doorway. Mona burst out in a shower of sparkles, clutching her knees and breathing like she had just run two rounds around Mondstadt.

"Sorry, Albedo! I...haah...I tried to get her to wait outside, but she won't listen to me as usual...haah..."

"It's alright, Mona. Let me handle this."

Albedo reached out and grabbed Klee before she could run off and snatch anything from Sucrose's shelves. Kneeling down to her height, Albedo ruffled her hair a little and spoke to her softly.

"Klee, do you remember the lab rules I told you about last time?"

"Uhh...no running and no explosives?"

"Correct. This applies to Miss Sucrose's lab too, okay? Promise me you'll follow the rules properly next time."

Klee squirmed a little, fidgeting with her fingers.

"Klee, you have to promise me before I can take you outside today."

Klee nodded slowly. "Okay, Big Brother Albedo."

"And do you promise to listen to Miss Mona next time?"

"I promise."

"Good," Albedo said, standing up. "In that case, let's go."

Klee's face lit up like a thousand stars, her eyes wide and shining. Jumping with joy, she whirled around and ran right for the door. Mona let out a noise of frustration as she failed to stop her, and sighed before diving into the floor again to give chase.

Once again, Albedo and Sucrose were left alone in the lab.

"Well, I ought to get going," Albedo looked at Sucrose, who already had her back turned, and was now carefully adding Valberry extract to each of the vials. "Are you sure you don't want to come?"

"Umm..." Sucrose muttered, looking vaguely at Albedo's warped reflection in the surface of the vials. "...no, I'm sor-"

She stopped herself. Didn't she tell herself she'd take up his offer the next time?

"Actually, these readings will take a while to surface, so I suppose I could-"

"No, you're right. Focus on your experiment," Albedo abruptly said, turning away from her. His voice sounded oddly rushed all of a sudden. "I'll see you later."

Sucrose turned in confusion - but Albedo had already crossed over to the door, and without another glance at her he closed it behind him, leaving Sucrose standing alone in bewildered silence.

---

Albedo hurried up the stairs with heavy footsteps, sweat shining on his face and his heart hammering rapidly. He pressed his palm over his aching eyes. He could only imagine the expression on Sucrose's face right now...but he had no choice but to leave.

Just now - just for a second - he had glimpsed himself in the mirror standing in the corner of Sucrose's lab...and he could have sworn he saw two eyes that weren't his own staring back at him.

---

A canopy of lazy blue and orange stretched out over Mondstadt as the evening faded, slowly passing the city into the hands of the night. Albedo and Mona followed Klee back through the main gate, Klee having finally run out of energy after hours of playing in the grassy plains.

"It's incredible how much energy she has," Mona said, wiping sweat from her brow. "Even compared to other kids I see."

"She gets it from her mother, I think," Albedo said with a light smile, watching Klee walk over to Timaeus to disturb his work. "I'll prepare her some toast and milk later before putting her to bed. You may have to wait a while-"

"Umm - there's no need for that!" Mona said quickly. "I have a...steady source of meals now! I shan't keep relying on your hospitality."

"Hm? Oh, are you talking about that man I see coming over to see you every once in a while? I recall him having an Inazuman accent. Who is he?"

"Bye, Albedo!" Mona brushed him off as she turned and headed back to her place. "I'll see you tomorrow!"

Albedo waved her goodbye and continued on to the Knights' headquarters. His day's work had taken a backseat thanks to Klee...he'd have to stay up a little longer tomorrow. Not that he could complain - he had long since come to treasure his life in Mondstadt and the people around him dearly.

If only he could hold on to this paradise forever...

He pushed back the thought with some effort, like he was swallowing a bitter pill. There was no point dreaming of something he could never have.

"A package arrived for you, Chief Alchemist," said the guard at the entrance, saluting him. "It has been placed at your door."

"Thank you, Otto," said Albedo. He entered the building and went downstairs to the alchemists' labs. He looked across to the end of the hallway - there was indeed a small black object sitting outside his door. Upon drawing closer, he saw that it was a small stone box.

Albedo picked it up - it was oddly cold to the touch - and brought it inside his lab. He sat down at his desk and pried it open...

...a foul purple smoke burst from the box and enveloped him, causing him to reel back and cough. With a growl of irritation, he swept the smoke away. Who on earth had so much free time to play this pitiful prank on him?

Well, it was but a trivial matter. Albedo walked over to his shelf, and bent down to pick up a notebook...

He suddenly lost all energy in his legs as he collapsed to the floor, his head striking the hard granite on its side. The yell he let out was cut short as something seized control of his throat, and then his entire body, holding him in place as he struggled futilely against the unseen force, his body convulsing and twitching, his eyes and mouth wrenched wide open in shock.

A mad, burning itch began to crawl down his face and arms. With a tremendous effort, Albedo pulled back his sleeve - he once again saw those dark symbols inscribing themselves on his skin, as if by an invisible iron brand...it was then that he realised, with a jolt of dread, that he had encountered the scent of that purple smoke in the past:

In a black-leaved herb he once found amongst Rhinedottir's personal effects...a powerful psychic drug bred by the royal scientists of Khaenri'ah.

A low, monstrous voice suddenly rang out in his head, with enough force to split open his skull.

"̸̦̈́W̸̯͐e̶̩͠ ̶̩̌k̶̛̦n̷̖̍ȍ̸͕w̵̱͌ ̷̣̚w̵̞͊ȟ̴̫o̶̳͐ ̴͇͋ỳ̵̗ò̴͚ȕ̴̺ ̵͓̅ả̶̗r̸̹͊e̵͜͠.̴͎̈́"̶̼͒

The...Abyss...

"̷̬̋͝Į̷͔̌t̴̗͔̒̊ ̴̭̤̕͘i̸̥̎s̶̬̻̓ ̸̩̬̐͝t̸̥͋̆i̴̼͠m̸̼̥͗̓è̴͕̭ ̶̹̋ţ̴̖̆̚ō̶̥̾ ̶͔͕̈́d̸͖͌̂e̵͍̎̚n̴̫̓o̴̟͊̄ų̷̬́n̶̖̓c̴̟̒e̸̳̚ ̵̹̠͋̕y̴̞̬̆͝ơ̶̇͜ų̷̥̈͌ṛ̵̤͂ ̷͎̜̾̕ḩ̵̝̊e̷̘͘r̵̟̱͘e̷͕͒̐t̸̮̪̐i̵̗̖͠c̵͍̔ ̸̺̙͐̚m̴͎̈͘á̵̙͆s̴̲̤͘t̸̓̈́͜e̸̪͗r̶͓̋̃.̶̱̪̓"̷̢͙͊

No, no, no, no, no. Not now...not now...

"̷̡̂C̶̠̓o̸̲͋n̷̻̽s̶̯̍u̴̡͝m̶͔͗e̷͊͜ ̴̦̊t̴͉́h̶̩͊ĭ̶̭s̷̮̊ ̶̛͕p̸̡̋a̴̼̽ṭ̶͊ȟ̷̬ê̴͚t̵̡̉i̴̡̔c̶̺̆ ̷͍̀c̸̭̽i̶̢̊t̶͇͒ỷ̵̫ ̸͖̂â̷͖n̵̤̆ḏ̷͠ ̵̮̏ṟ̵̈e̵̼̔v̴̩̒ĩ̶͕ṽ̷͙e̴̡̔ ̶̡͘ỳ̷̦ọ̷̋ǔ̴̢r̷̡̀ ̷̞͝f̶͕̄e̸̦̓l̸͔͐l̶̟̓ȏ̷̥w̷̹͗ ̶̙͛c̷͓͂r̸̩̓ě̴͔ȁ̷̧t̷͇͗ĭ̵̖o̵̞̾n̶̞͛.̵̼̓"̴̱̓

I...won't...!

"̴̤̮͇̈́͛͐B̶͔̐̈́̉Ę̸͕̼͋Ǹ̶̫̹̈́D̷̢̻̠̈́̆̕ ̸̳̼͋Ť̴̯͖͝O̶̩͠ ̷̯͆̎̀Y̴̺̬̿Ö̴̢́̓U̸̳̱̠̍̈͘R̷̖̥͙̉̅ ̷̯̍̆͑F̸̫͕̈Ą̴̯̓̑̕Ţ̶͇̮͋E̷͉͕̜̋͛̓!̶̨̮̎!̶̜͉̕͜!̸̖͍̈"̸̙̤̊

NO!

The door to the lab burst open. Albedo immediately froze, listening hard as he held his breath.

"Albedo?" Klee's voice came in from the doorway. "Mr Timaeus said he was working on something super duper important and I should come and find you if I wanted to talk. How much longer till dinner is-"

She paused.

"Big Brother Albedo, why are you sleeping on the floor?"

Gathering whatever strength he had, Albedo pressed his fist against the floor and forced himself to his feet. His body felt like it was made of stone. Once he finally managed to stand, he covered his eyes with his hand and began walking drunkenly towards Klee.

"I...I just fell, K-K-Klee. I'm...fine..."

Even just forcing the words out of his mouth took everything he had. Slowly raising his free hand, he grabbed Klee's shoulder and forced out a smile.

"Klee, we're...going to p-play a little game, okay?"

"Hm? What game is it?"

"It's...hide and s-seek. You have...twenty...no, ten seconds. Go and hide...now..."

"You got it! No peeking!"

Klee whirled around and sprinted out of the lab. The second she was gone, Albedo collapsed back to the floor. Using the last of his strength, he dragged his body away from the door and pressed his palm to the ground. It began emitting a golden light as the solid granite started to change form.

I have to...get away from everyone...

Outside the lab, Klee was dashing down the hallway.

"Six..."

The granite floor began melting away into white smoke.

"Five..."

Albedo poured out yet more energy into the transmutation as Klee ran up the stairs.

"Four..."

The golden light faded as Albedo lifted his hand off the floor. Klee reached the ground level of the building and ran into the solitary confinement room.

"Three..."

Albedo dragged himself towards his creation, his breathing ragged and anguished. Klee crouched down playfully next to a drawer, smiling to herself in excitement.

"Two..."

Sucrose sat at her desk writing a new hypothesis, her paper flower lying next to her.

"One..."

---

A giant explosion rocked the walls of Sucrose's lab. She leapt from her seat in fright as her paper flower fell off the desk. Several vials were flung from her shelves and smashed open on the floor, giving rise to an angry hissing as their contents mixed together.

Sucrose stared around wildly, holding her hand over her rapidly beating heart. What in the world was that? Did one of the other alchemists' experiments go wrong?

She ran out and looked down the hallway - and her heart stopped when she saw Albedo's lab. Clouds of purple smoke were billowing from the entrance, his grand polished doors lying strewn across the hallway floor.

"Mr Albedo!"

She dashed for his lab, stumbling over the mess of rubble and splinters. Throwing out her hand, she dispelled the purple smoke with a gust of wind.

She stepped inside, dreading what she might find - but what she saw she could never have expected. A long dusty tunnel, made of pure white branches and smothered in cobwebs, ran through the floor of the lab. Little fragments of wood were broken off near the entrance, as if someone had just entered through it before abruptly changing their direction. And next to that, a great gaping hole in the ceiling, through which candlelight from the ground floor shone through...

It was then that several distant voices carried themselves down towards Sucrose, alongside a frantic clanging of armour and footsteps that quickly grew closer.

"All Knights gather in the plaza to deal with the immediate threat! Drop everything else and move now!"

Sucrose stared up at the horde of Knights rushing across the hall, shouting indiscernibly, their faces pale and twisted in worry. Her stomach turned violently - something felt horribly wrong...

Looking around, she saw an overturned crate with a number of alchemical ingredients spilling out. Grabbing it and pulling with all her might, Sucrose dragged the crate over to the space under the gaping hole in the ceiling, and used it to climb up to the ground floor.

As she stepped onto solid ground, she saw Jean emerge from her office with a taut and grave expression, her gleaming sword clutched tightly in her hand.

"A-Acting Grand Master!" Sucrose yelled over the cacophony. "What's going on?! Where's Mr Albedo?"

"The Kreideprinz is somewhere outside these doors - and that is precisely our problem," said Jean. "Get back inside, I don't think you'll want to see this-"

But Sucrose had already sprinted off after the other Knights. Her heart racing, she burst through the doors and into the plaza...and for a moment she thought she had stumbled into a waking nightmare.

The statue of the Anemo Archon stood in ruins, its entire left side dissolved into a black tar that reeked like a rotting carcass; Sucrose had to clamp her hands over her mouth to stop herself from vomiting. Looking up, she saw what looked like titanic white bones defacing the night sky, jutting out from distorted rooftops that twisted and stretched and melded together like some demented painting.

Sucrose averted her gaze from the sick sight and looked downward. The floor of the plaza, warped and uneven, seemed to be destroyed by giant white branches growing through it - but looking closer, she realised the floor had turned into the white branches in places, growing out like gnarled, clawed hands that stretched out hungrily towards the houses and windmills below to...consume them, fusing with and assimilating their solid matter into the chalk-white bark like some ravenous wooden beast.

Sucrose wanted to look away, but her eyes were glued to the grotesque destruction. She wanted to scream, but no sound would come out. Her head was spinning. It was hard to stand. Her city...her home...who in the seven nations could even do something like-?

A gloved hand shot up over the edge of the plaza floor and grabbed the railing.

Sucrose took a step backwards.

The hand twisted and clenched around the railing, as the arm it was attached to rose into view - and then a human figure - lifted up by a gigantic black flower that was blooming right before her eyes.

With a vague foreboding dread, Sucrose cast her eyes upon the figure's face...and the world turned silent as time itself froze.

"Mr...Albedo...?" she whispered.

No - it looked more like an alien creature wearing Albedo's skin. Its eyes stared emptily at Sucrose, wide and black as voids, with pupils that glowed a sickly purple. Dark letters she couldn't read ran in streaks down its forehead, across its black eyes and down its neck and arms, revealed only by the tattered remains of Albedo's white coat hanging from its shoulders.

Sucrose felt a vile mixture of rage and confusion churning within her like hot acid. Her head felt dizzy as her mind burned with disbelief...

"What...what did you do to Mr Albedo?!" she shrieked, her voice cracking.

The creature didn't seem to hear her. It raised its hand and its palm glowed the same eerie purple as its eyes. Leaping into the plaza, it slammed its hand onto the floor, and the tiles warped and bulged, morphing into rows of bones that leapt towards Sucrose. She jumped back screaming, and her shoe got caught on the edge of the bones and slipped off - landing hard on her back, she watched in horror as her shoe melted rapidly into the bone.

"There! He's there!" came a shout.

Three Knights sprinted up a nearby staircase towards the creature, their swords drawn and raised. The creature caused black vines to erupt from the ground with a swipe of its hand, trapping two of the Knights in place. The Knight that managed to dodge them slashed at the creature with a valiant yell - but it ducked beneath his blade and slammed its hand into his chestplate, throwing him to the ground.

The second he hit the ground, the Knight began convulsing and let out a shriek of sheer agony. Sucrose stared in horror as a dozen red snakes crawled out of his armour, hissing and spitting as they bit him.

Thinking fast, Sucrose pulled a vial of sleep-inducing toxin from her coat and flung it at the Knight. It shattered and smothered the snakes in green gas, and they went limp. Coughing and arching his head away from the gas, the Knight looked towards the towers and roared, "Archers!"

Arrows whistled through the night as they rained down on the creature. It staggered and hissed angrily as they pierced its skin - what looked like thick black tar spurted from its wounds. While it was distracted, one Knight rushed forth behind it and swung a claymore down on its head. With a terrible shriek, the creature crumpled to the floor.

Sucrose froze, staring at the creature lying in a pool of its own black blood. Was that thing...really Albedo? And if so, was he...

...dea-

The creature wrenched its spine back and lurched to its feet, letting out a furious roar. It swiftly turned and grasped the Knight by her throat. She grabbed at its arm and struggled, staring fearfully into its soulless eyes, her mouth working frantically but only managing to produce a wet choking noise...

Sucrose's stomach twisted as she realised what it was doing.

"NO!"

The Knight's head was forced back as a cluster of branches burst from her mouth, cutting short her ear-splitting scream.

She went limp, and the creature dropped her. Sucrose barely had time to register what she had witnessed before it turned, its eyes set on her and the fallen Knight, and it pounced-

A whirl of ice rushed out from behind a pillar, blasting the creature into the remains of the Barbatos statue. With a low snarl it stood up and glared towards the source of the blast. Kaeya emerged silently from the shadows, twirling his sword and fixing the creature with his narrow glare.

"Of all the nights for me to be outside the city...I should have known that letter was a ruse the second I received it. It seems someone didn't want me to interfere with the Kreideprinz's little performance tonight."

The doors to the Knights' headquarters burst open, and Jean rushed into the plaza, accompanied by Amber, Lisa, and Eula.

Jean took a running leap into the middle of the plaza, dodging a volley of bone shards from the creature. Landing before it, she drew back her sword and summoned a great roaring gale, lifting the creature into the air.

"Now!"

She spun around and launched the creature skyward. Amber and Lisa fired off a flaming arrow and a bolt of lightning together, striking it head-on with a great explosion. As it hurtled towards the ground, Eula and Kaeya struck it with a whirling slew of ice, assisted by Jean who pinned it down with a fierce wind current.

"Sucrose!" Jean yelled, looking over her shoulder at her. "Help us too!"

Sucrose rushed forward and summoned her catalyst - but then she hesitated, looking at the struggling creature's face.

Albedo's face.

If she were to hurt that thing...hurt its physical body...

"Alchemist, you are a Knight of Favonius!" Eula shouted. "The Acting Grand Master gave you an order!"

Sucrose forced herself to move. Biting down on her lip so hard she thought she might draw blood, telling herself over and over that she was not looking at her mentor...she summoned a wind spirit at the creature's feet, sweeping it backwards. Eula and Kaeya then swung their blades and yelled in unison, flinging the creature into the shallow pool around the Barbatos statue with a blast of ice. The hiss that escaped from its mouth was cut short, as the water around it abruptly froze over.

None of the Knights were foolish enough to lower their guard - Jean, Eula, and Kaeya approached the creature slowly, their blades raised and pointed, as Sucrose trailed behind them with anxious breath, her nails digging into her palms.

They peered down at the creature as it strained against its prison of ice. With its head frozen sideways, it could only back at them with one eye...

...an eye of emerald green.

Sucrose gasped.

"Stay...away..." Albedo's voice escaped from the creature's lips.

It suddenly wrenched its eye shut as though in pain, and when it opened again it was midnight black. The four Knights stepped back-

With a mad roar, the creature shook wildly and wrenched itself free of the ice, sending ice shards flying in all directions. As they struck the ground, the ice shards turned into numerous red scorpions, clicking and hissing angrily as they surrounded the four Knights.

"Gunnhildr!" Eula shouted.

"I know! Sucrose, assist me!" Jean ordered.

With swift blasts of wind, Sucrose and Jean swept away all the scorpions in a second. But a second was all the creature needed - slamming its hand into the ground, it summoned a huge metallic flower with black and silver petals that unfurled beneath its feet.

The flower rose into the air, lifting the creature far above the head of the ruined statue. Sucrose stared up at the creature, her breath vanishing in foreboding dread.

The creature flung its arms out and screeched.

A low rumbling resonated around the plaza. Sucrose stared in horror as the entire city began ripping itself apart, all the organic matter transmuted by the creature turning into black shreds that rose into the air. Stones, splinters, and glass shards were flung everywhere as the transmuted matter was ripped forcefully from surfaces. The black shreds gathered into a large coil that spiralled towards the creature. It reached out hungrily...

Its palm connected with the tip of the spiral. A flash of brilliant purple light burst out between them, forcing Sucrose to avert her gaze. In the corner of her vision, she could see the black spiral boring into the creature's skin, being absorbed into its flesh...

It was a minute before Sucrose dared to look again. When she did so, the creature was still - it was staring, trance-like, with what looked like wonder in its eyes, at something far off in the distance.

Sucrose followed its gaze. It was looking at Dragonspine.

The creature crouched down on its flower. Without taking its eyes off the mountain, it began to leap from rooftop to rooftop until it disappeared beyond the city walls.

---

"Does it hurt?"

"It's...hard to breathe. Oww..."

"Please, drink this."

More than ten minutes had passed since the thing in Albedo's skin had made its abrupt departure. Medical and rescue aid from the Knights, Cathedral, and Adventurers' Guild had arrived five minutes ago. Noelle was administering an antidote to the Knight who had been attacked by snakes. Adventurers and Knights were slowly filing into the plaza, escorting civilians from their destroyed homes. Mona was by the headquarters' entrance bombarding Kaeya with questions about Albedo. At the feet of the ruined statue, Barbara was kneeling next to an unconscious Knight, filtering dark blood out of an incision in her neck with a thin stream of water. Several bloody branches lay by her head.

"Deaconess, will she be alright?" asked an older woman, who was peering down on the Knight anxiously.

"I'm...still trying to remove any remaining residue," said Barbara, her face shining with sweat. "To be honest, I'm not sure if she'll make it..."

Sucrose sat quietly at the edge of the plaza, her back turned away from everyone else. She felt a dull aching where she had struck the floor earlier, but she barely registered the pain. Even as she gazed down on the ruined city and the injured civilians dragging themselves towards the plaza, she could not muster the energy to feel anything.

That inhuman face stared back at her like a ghost through the darkness, its soulless eyes haunting her. What in the Four Winds was that...thing? She had no idea where it came from, or what it was planning to do, or how to exorcise it from Albedo's body...if doing so was even possible...

She heard Jean giving orders to several Knights in the background. No doubt they were planning to hunt down and capture that creature so that they could get answers from Albedo.

"...most likely, Dragonspine is his next destination. Confirmation on this will arrive soon. Amber, once we know precisely where he's headed, I want you to lead the archery squads to a suitable position. Kaeya, contact the trap specialists. I want him returned alive if possible-"

However, Sucrose could detect the trace of disingenuity in her voice. She had witnessed the destruction that creature was capable of, and it was clear Jean recognised this too. Holding back against that thing in combat was not an option.

If they were unable to subdue it without lethal force...

Someone walked up from behind her and grasped her shoulder.

"Hey, you feeling alright?" came Amber's voice.

"Yes...no...I don't know," Sucrose said weakly.

"We're gonna find him," Amber said in a reassuring tone. "Master Jean already has a battle plan laid out. We'll arr–bring him back and question him thoroughly, and if this turns out to be some plot by...by the Abyss, or the Fatui, or something like that, no lasting harm will come to him. Alright?"

"You're going to arrest him?"

Amber's hand suddenly tightened on her shoulder.

"We have to. He played an active role in this catastrophe. Sucrose, I understand you look up to him, but I'm gonna have to ask you not to make things difficult-"

"No. I understand. I - I can't ignore any of...this-" she inclined her head towards the destruction below her. "-in good conscience. It's just...it's just..."

Tears fell from her eyes, blurring her glasses. She thought of Albedo helping her make requests to Jean whenever she was too scared to do so. She thought of him drawing that sketch to restore her confidence in her own skills. She thought of his expression under the ice, desperate and fearful, only managing to breathe out a terrified warning before he was swallowed by the creature again...

"...that can't be the last I ever see of him...right...?"

Amber was silent for a moment. Slowly, she knelt down next to Sucrose.

"Albedo's a colleague I admire a whole lot as well. I wanna see him again, too."

"It's not just that."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

Sucrose's hands gripped the edge of the plaza floor tightly.

"I-"

A distant galloping drifted up towards them from below. Sucrose and Amber looked down to see Diluc arriving in the city on horseback, coming to a stop below the plaza. He dismounted, giving his stallion's mane a gentle stroke before climbing up the stairs.

"Master Diluc," Jean greeted, walking over to meet him. "Has your investigation proved fruitful?"

"Indeed. As you suspected, the Kreideprinz is currently making straight for Wyrmrest Valley. As of now, he has reached the outskirts of the Entombed City."

"Then we don't have much time." Turning around, Jean shouted, "Kaeya! Assemble all available Knights for an expedition to Dragonspine! I want at least four Vision wielders to assist me in confronting the Kreideprinz!"

"I will come with you," said Diluc.

"I'll join you once the archers are in position!" said Amber, leaping to her feet.

"Where Amber goes, I go," said Eula, drawing her claymore.

Standing up abruptly, Sucrose turned to face Jean and said, "Please, allow me to come as well."

Jean nodded. "Very well. Excuse me for a moment - I must inform Barbara to await our return at the adventurers' camp outside Dragonspine, so that she may treat the injured."

Jean turned and left. As Kaeya approached with the rest of the Knights, and they gathered to leave, Sucrose walked over to join the group.

But a hand shot out and grabbed her wrist.

"Wait, Sucrose."

Sucrose turned to see Amber giving her a grave look.

"I know I said some honeyed words earlier, but...there's still the possibility that Albedo had a hand in all of this - or at least, maybe he knew something like this might occur. If that turns out to be the case...the appropriate punishment must be exacted. I need you to understand this."

Sucrose looked away for a moment. She had no intention of going against the Knights' laws, and for a moment she considered staying here in the city - perhaps she might not be able to handle joining this expedition.

But then she thought of Albedo's fearful gaze underneath the ice, seemingly yearning for someone to save him...

"I am well aware," she said. "But I want to help Mr Albedo no matter what. So...I must insist on joining this team."

"Thank you. I respect your dedication. I swear upon my title as Outrider, if we bring Albedo back alive, no harm will befall him until we ascertain the truth."

At that moment Jean returned, her face hardened and her gaze narrowed. She brandished her sword as she turned to face the group, a hot wind swirling around her.

"Is everyone ready? We embark now!"

---

The howling winds roared in Sucrose's ears and battered her skin as she followed the Knights up the mountain, only visible by the bobbing golden glow of their lanterns - the night was so dark that Sucrose could barely see a metre in front of her. The ancient stone steps felt unstable beneath her feet, and the towering pines along the path obscured her vision even further. Shielding her face from the cold, she could see her own lantern swaying violently in the wind, its much-needed light and heat constantly ebbing away from her face in an irritating rhythm.

A trembling breath escaped from her mouth, but she steeled her nerves - she refused to turn back now.

Someone jumped down from the rocks to her left, and the glow of yet another lantern joined the group.

"The archers and trappers are in position. They are ready to strike if we fail," said Amber.

"Thank you," said Jean. "Be prepared to fight at any moment - we are almost at Wyrmrest Valley."

"Aren't there a lot of Fatui around here?" said Amber. "We should keep a low profile and avoid external confl-"

A piercing scream from overhead cut her off.

The group looked up - a Fatui Pyroslinger was thrown bodily through the darkness towards them, nearly hitting Eula. The soldier smashed into the edge of the snowy path with a yell, and he tumbled like a ragdoll down the side of the mountain.

"Pick up the pace!" Jean shouted. "We are nearing our target!"

The Knights veered off the mountain path and leapt down towards the open plain next to Wyrmrest Valley, their armoured boots slamming into the snow one after another. As they ran, Sucrose heard more screams coming from ahead.

"Grigori, run! Run now!"

"What the devil are you doi–aaaaarrrrgghhh-!"

With a yell and a flash of flame, Diluc struck a nearby brazier with his claymore. The fire illuminated all of the dark plain, and Sucrose felt her stomach turn - the white snow was stained heavily with splatters of blood, and at least a dozen Fatui soldiers lay motionless in the snow, their armours cracked and their weapons reduced to splinters.

In the middle of the plain, a dark figure lunged and forced a rock into a Cryogunner's mouth, smashing right through his mask. The soldier screamed and thrashed madly - then he let out a sickening choke as a giant spider's leg ripped through his throat from inside.

The Cryogunner fell to the ground, the spider's leg still twitching horrifically. The dark figure then turned its gaze toward the Knights, its violet pupils shining against black voids.

Jean brandished her sword at the creature. "Charge!"

The Knights dashed towards the creature, drawing their swords, claymores, and polearms. Snarling, the creature flung out its arm to grab the dead Cryogunner's face, and his body seemingly deflated - then a shrieking horde of black ravens burst from his hollow corpse and darted towards the Knights.

The birds began to claw furiously at their weapons. The Knights tried to fight back, but could only yell out in pain as the birds' talons ripped into their fingers, drawing blood - the Knights relinquished their grips, and within seconds, the ravens seized every last weapon and flung them into the river.

Eula let out a frustrated shout and charged towards the creature. Three ravens swooped down upon her, and she cleaved them in half with one swing. She struck the creature with a blast of ice, and as it staggered, Amber followed up with a flaming arrow. It hit its mark head-on and the creature roared. Unrelenting, Diluc leapt skyward and swung his blazing claymore down on its head.

"Burn!"

The creature leapt sideways, but the force of Diluc's attack sent it tumbling through the snow. The creature roared and slammed its palms into the ground. Gigantic black vines erupted from the snow, throwing Eula aside before darting straight for the defenceless Knights.

As Amber helped Eula to her feet, the creature stood up, dodged a slash from Diluc, and sprinted off towards a cavern below the valley. The vines continued their rapid advance. Gritting her teeth, Jean stood her ground as she faced down the black tendrils...

Eula dashed back towards her, summoning a white sigil in her hand. It exploded with tremendous force, blowing several vines to shreds.

"Gunnhildr! I'll stay and defend the soldiers! You four chase after that thing!" she shouted, pointing towards the cavern.

Jean nodded. "May the wind keep you safe. Sucrose, come!"

Jean ran forth to join Diluc and Amber, and Sucrose hastened to follow. As they drew closer to the cavern, Sucrose saw an ominous blood-red glow coming from within.

"They...they say an ancient dragon died here, right?" she asked softly.

"That's right," said Amber. "Its heart is supposed to be in that cave. If Albedo touches it with that weird...life-creating ability he's got...I don't wanna think about what happens next."

Sucrose swallowed. Was that what the creature had consumed all that matter for? It had absorbed about half the city's worth of it - if whatever dead beast lurked in there were to be revived with that much mass...

The four leapt down to the entrance of the cavern. The red light was even stronger here, angry, hot, and bloody.

"So...we're gonna dive right in?" Amber said breathlessly, gazing into the scarlet light.

She sounded hesitant, and Sucrose understood why - the cavern emitted a disturbing, unnatural aura, like something similar to heat but not quite the same...more like a gross facsimile of heat from another realm that violated the nature of this world. And as Sucrose stared into the cavern's glow, she felt as if it was giving off...emotion, like she was looking at someone's face. The emotion it emanated was a blazing, festering desire - that of a dead carcass yearning for life.

"We did not come here to turn back now," said Jean resolutely. "If you feel your heart wavering, allow me to enter first."

She stepped bravely into the cavern's entrance with Diluc. Amber soon followed after them. Yet, Sucrose found herself still hesitating, her heart pounding hard against her chest. Stepping into that cavern...seemed akin to jumping off a cliff.

Sucrose clenched her fist over her heart, and took a moment to remind herself why she was here.

Mr Albedo...please wait just a little longer.

With a sharp intake of cold air, Sucrose dashed through the entrance and emerged on the other side. That strange blazing aura surrounded her, sweeping away the cold. Ahead of her, Diluc, Jean, and Amber were looking around the cavern, their faces wrought with confusion...

...like them, Sucrose immediately noticed something was off.

"Where'd that thing go...?" she breathed.

Nobody seemed able to answer her. Sucrose felt her breath getting faster as she stared around the cavern, near its core and along the lumps of blood-like quartz. They couldn't have lost track of that thing, it had clearly ventured in here-

"Look out!"

Diluc suddenly leapt towards her and swung his claymore over their heads. The blade struck a falling rock, smashing it to pieces.

Sucrose looked up at the ceiling, and she gasped - the creature's mad eyes glared at them from above, its feet rooted to the ceiling like gravity had been inverted around it. Sucrose got an inexplicable notion that this was the cavern's doing; an acknowledgement of its brethren's presence, a gesture of welcoming...

Roaring, the creature slammed its palms into the ceiling. Gigantic white bones burst downwards to the group like countless stone spikes. As the four leapt backwards, the bones pierced into the cavern floor, sending shards of rock and dust flying everywhere. Sucrose heard Amber yell out along with a splintering of wood - the descending bones had shattered her bow.

Coughing uncontrollably, Sucrose looked up - the bones had formed a thick wall separating them from the creature. Its dark eye glared back at them for a second between the white pillars, then it turned and advanced, upside-down, towards the cavern's pulsing core.

"Move!" Diluc roared.

Sucrose jumped aside as Diluc released a blazing slash, cleaving a way through the bones.

"Don't let him touch the core!" he yelled.

Jean brandished her sword. "Leave it to me!"

Rushing out of the opening Diluc had made, Jean leapt up towards the creature using the slanted bones as footholds. She thrust her sword out towards its back...

...the creature suddenly lurched its head back with its jaws agape, spit flying from its mouth, and clamped its teeth down on Jean's arm. With a shudder and a shout of pain, she dropped her sword and began to fall.

Diluc ran forth and caught her. Placing her on the cavern floor, he lifted up her arm and inspected it - a black energy was seeping into the wound, causing the surrounding veins to turn black. Sucrose recognised these symptoms from her books - it was just like a Rifthound bite.

"What are we gonna do?" Amber shouted, sliding down one of the giant bones. "I don't have anything to treat that on me!"

Diluc gritted his teeth, looking down at Jean's wound - then he turned to Sucrose and shouted, "You have an Anemo Vision, right? Delay that thing at all costs!"

"M-me? But I-"

But Diluc had already turned his attention back to Jean, dressing her wound with a silk handkerchief he had pulled from his coat.

Reluctantly, Sucrose looked back up at the creature - it was now mere strides away from the cavern's core, its hand outstretched, a burning longing in its eyes. Nervous sweat ran down her forehead as she braced herself for what she had to do...

Drawing two flasks of pure Anemo energy from her coat, Sucrose flung them at the creature - but it shattered the flasks with one slash, and their contents dissipated in clouds of turquoise. Sucrose tried again with another concoction, but the creature smashed that as well. Then a third and a fourth - none of them landed as the creature swatted them away effortlessly. Looking away from her, it continued to stride along the ceiling.

Sucrose clenched her jaw, sweat dampening her gloves as she began to panic. She was an alchemist, not a fighter...she had no more tricks up her sleeve. Was this it, then?

"Your experiments will sometimes produce unsatisfactory results. When that happens, do not feel frustrated. Simply review and modify your procedure - let your intellect and talent do the rest."

That was one of the first things Albedo ever taught her. She would recall it every time she encountered difficulties with her experiments, and every time it would help her find a solution without fail. Surely, surely, something would work here...?

She looked around in desperation. Her gaze fell upon the chunks of Scarlet Quartz that littered the cavern, glowing and burning like a dozen candles.

An idea struck her.

Breaking into a run, Sucrose rushed over to grab Jean's abandoned sword. With a valiant shout, she brought the blade down on the nearest chunk of quartz, and it shattered into multiple red shards. Grabbing a handful of shards, Sucrose jammed them into a flask of pure Anemo energy. The flask began to shake violently as its inner pressure grew, its surface rapidly turning red hot in her hand...

Sucrose glanced back at the creature, whose fingers were now inches away from the core. Knowing she might not be able to take back what she was about to do, she took a second to observe Albedo's poor twisted face. A slow breath fell from her lips.

"I'm sorry, Mr Albedo."

She threw the flask upwards. As it flew in front of the creature's face, the glass cracked-

An explosion of scarlet flame engulfed the creature head-on, flinging it forcefully from the ceiling. It shrieked in agony, and Sucrose looked away as a blazing light filled the cavern. Amidst the roar of the fire, she heard an angry shout from Diluc, and the screech of metal...

...she looked back to see Jean gripping her sword, her teeth clenched in pain but her eyes ablaze. Leaping forth with a roar, she drove her sword through the creature's chest - Sucrose let out a silent yell - the creature threw its head back and screamed as purple light burst from its wound, the lines of symbols on its face and arms receded, and the blackness in its bulging eyes flickered like dying lights...

Jean wrenched her sword from the creature's chest, breathing heavily, and fell to her knees. Diluc ran forth and caught her with one arm as she collapsed.

Sucrose looked at the person now lying next to Jean, their eyes closed peacefully as though in a deep slumber. They looked no different from Albedo now, save for the badly tattered coat and the wound on their chest which was now leaking a white, sand-like powder.

"Mr Albedo...?" Sucrose breathed, approaching the figure wearily.

The person's face twitched as though surprised to hear her say the name - then, his eyelids flitted open wearily to reveal eyes of emerald green.

"Hello, Sucrose."

An immense wave of relief swept over her, and she broke into a smile. All other cares left her mind - not caring that they were still inside some creepy dragon carcass, not caring that Albedo was her senior, Sucrose dived for him with her arms outstretched-

Diluc threw out his free arm and blocked her.

"Don't go near him," he warned.

Amber strode forth and knelt down in front of Albedo, fixing his weary gaze with a grim expression Sucrose had never seen on her before.

"Albedo, is that you?"

He nodded weakly.

"You know what we've gotta do, right?"

Another nod.

"Take me away...I understand. I will explain everything to Master Jean...afterwards."

"Do you have anything to restrain him with?" asked Diluc.

Sucrose started to protest, but Amber answered for her.

"I don't think that's necessary," she said. "He looks like he can barely stand. How's Master Jean?"

"She'll live," said Diluc. "But I suggest we get to the adventurers' camp and let the Deaconess see her immediately."

He placed his hands below her neck and knees and got to his feet, lifting her up. At the same time, Amber walked over to grab the lantern she had left at the cavern's entrance.

"Sucrose, can you carry Albedo?"

"Oh, um - of course."

She turned and placed her arm under his, but then hesitated - she was feeling a bit more conscious of her boundaries again. Telling herself this was a special case, she bravely hooked her arm behind Albedo's and lifted him onto her back. Her legs nearly buckled under his weight - this was the first time she had carried anyone like this.

"Mmff - is - is this too uncomfortable?"

"I'm...fine," he breathed, his head hung so low over Sucrose's shoulder that she couldn't see his face.

"I advise you two to keep an eye on him," said Diluc. "Now, let's go."

---

As the group stepped out of the cavern into the unrelenting cold, Sucrose thought it might be dawn by now, but the black night still stretched overhead - though at least now she could see more than a few metres ahead of her.

Amber led the group, holding her lantern aloft and guiding them down the snowy path. As Sucrose followed her, she glanced sideways at Albedo - he was still hanging his head like a doll over her shoulder, weakly dragging his feet along the snow after each step Sucrose took. It pained her to see him in such a sorry state - through all the years she had studied under him, through all the nights she had seen him work tirelessly through some clandestine project, she couldn't recall ever seeing him this tired...

"Did I do that...?" he muttered, breaking her train of thought.

"Um - what?"

"Did I do that...to Master Jean...?" He raised his hand feebly and pointed to Diluc and Jean ahead of them. Sucrose looked over and saw the silk handkerchief tied around her wound, now stained a slimy black.

"Yes. That was you. Or...whatever that thing inside you was."

"The city...how much damage did I do...?"

Sucrose swallowed uncomfortably.

"Half of Mondstadt was destroyed," Sucrose replied. She found the words incredibly hard to utter.

Albedo was quiet for a moment. Then a regretful sigh fell from his mouth.

"If I ever...see the light of day again after Master Jean is done with me...I swear I'll do all I can to fix this."

"I know. You're not an evil person," she said, with a conviction to her tone that surprised even her. "I'm sure the others know that as well. Amber promised no harm would come to you until you received a fair trial - well...no harm as of now, at least. I'm sorry we had to fight you."

"Don't apologise...I did not suffer any significant injuries. Although-" Albedo suddenly winced. "-it seems I have sustained several burns. Did Master Diluc...land the final blow...?"

"N-no, that was...um...that was me." Sucrose felt her ears start to flutter, and she quickly added, "Please don't be mad-"

But Albedo chuckled lightly. "Impressive. It's...comforting to know...that I can rely on you in the future..."

Sucrose felt her face burn hot against the cold wind. Not sure how to take the compliment, she could only look away and smile.

After a moment, she muttered, "Th-thank y-"

"Everyone, hold it!"

Amber's shout from ahead pierced the silent night. Sucrose and Diluc immediately froze, looking at Amber as she held her lantern up high, her other arm outstretched in warning.

"What's the matter?" asked Diluc.

The ends of the ribbon on Amber's head twitched.

"Did you guys hear something?"

Sucrose quickly went on alert, her eyes scanning the pitch-black darkness around them. Her hand tightened around Albedo's arm...

There was a glass-like glint.

An icicle flew at them through the darkness, shattering Amber's lantern. She let out a yell as everything was plunged into darkness.

A fist slammed hard into Sucrose's stomach, throwing her backwards. She hit the ground with a shout, and heard Albedo grunt out before his voice was stifled. She scrambled to her feet, and at the same time Amber held up a flaming arrow, bringing light back to the area...

"Any of you move and he's dead."

Sucrose, Diluc, and Amber froze, looking at the one who had ambushed them - Rosaria was glaring at them with cold, murderous fury, with Albedo trapped in a one-armed lock before her, a gleaming dagger in her other hand pressed against his neck. His eyes flitting in and out of waking, Albedo stirred feebly, but was unable to resist her clutches.

"Sister Rosaria, have you gone mad?!" Amber shouted. "What are you doing?!"

"I would've done this when he was isolated, but from what I've heard from you lot, it looks like that isn't happening," she said, her eyes as murderous as an angry wolf's. "Bringing him near civilians? I'd say you're the ones who have gone mad."

"You're...you're not going to kill him, are you?" Amber said breathlessly.

"Do you think this knife is for show? Yes, I intend to end this man's life right here and now. It is my duty to keep Mondstadt safe - I refuse to let him lay another finger on our city."

"This is out of line!" Amber shouted, pointing her fiery arrow towards her. "We have to hear him talk first - let him confess - we'll imprison him until we can-"

"Do you really think any cell can hold him? Stone and metal are like glass and paper to him! The threat he poses must be eradicated now!"

Rosaria moved the dagger-

"Sister Rosaria, please!" Sucrose shouted, throwing out her hand in protest. "That thing that destroyed the city - it's gone, we defeated it, Mr Albedo won't harm anyone-"

"I don't want to hear anything from you, lap dog! How do you know he's in control now?!" Rosaria shouted, pressing her blade deeper against Albedo's skin.

He winced in pain, and more white powder seeped from his neck. Sucrose gulped and quickly lowered her hand.

Rosaria looked back at Amber. "Outrider, your grandfather was a Knight, wasn't he?"

"Huh?"

"What if he was alive today? What if he had participated in the defence efforts outside your headquarters earlier? Do you think he'd approve of bringing this man back inside what's left of our walls, after losing so many of his comrades to their own captain?"

Doubt flashed momentarily through Amber's eyes - but she still stood resolutely, holding her arrow aloft...

"Not convinced? That's fine. Then what would the Lawrence girl say if you let this man get loose? What if he were to continue his rampage, and she got...unlucky?"

"I..."

Amber suddenly scowled, looking as though she would like nothing more than to jam her flaming arrow into Rosaria's eye - but it was clear that she couldn't ignore her warnings. Much to Sucrose's horror, Amber slowly lowered her arrow in a quivering fist.

Rosaria then pointed her dagger at Diluc.

"Master Diluc, I know it is easier to move mountains than to change your mind, so I'll just say this - are you willing to save one man at the cost of your freedom to save hundreds more?"

"What do you mean?" Diluc demanded, his arms gripping Jean's body tight.

"I know everyone's secrets. And I recently found out yours. Specifically, your little...nighttime hobby," said Rosaria, and Diluc blanched. "Now, you understand the damage I could do to you, yes?"

"Damn you..." Diluc growled, but after a minute he too stood down.

Rosaria's eyes glinted in satisfaction. "Hmph - that's all my obstacles taken care of. Now, turn around and get your Acting Grand Master over to that camp...just leave me to my work and forget that this ever happened. I'm sure you can come up with a believable cover story later."

Amber and Diluc refused to move.

"Fine. I'll just work with an audience, then."

The dagger drifted towards Albedo's neck like a ghostly claw. His half-asleep gaze lingered on the blade for a moment, then he steeled himself with a sharp breath, closing his eyes peacefully.

"Mr Albedo...?" Sucrose breathed.

"It's alright...let it happen," he said, although his voice trembled. "I've always been prepared...for this outcome. Just don't tell Klee-"

"Be quiet," Rosaria hissed. Her dagger glinted as she raised it to the other side of his neck, ready to pull it back in one swift motion.

Albedo's eyes flitted open slightly, and he looked at Sucrose with a comforting smile, telling her not to worry.

Sucrose's fist trembled as she stared at his face. Her mind screamed at her to do something, anything, but what could she even do? Rosaria terrified her so much that she could barely speak in her presence. She didn't dare stand up to her...

But even as she thought this, her hand drifted subconsciously behind her back.

Images flashed through her mind - images of the friends she had long lost, their faces and names buried so deep in memory that they had become indistinct. She thought of the last time she had seen them without knowing that was their end, and she thought of the vow she had made...

...hot fire surged through her veins.

She seized a flask under her coat and broke into a run. With inexplicable courage driving her body, she rushed forth and hurled the flask at Rosaria. The flask smashed open at her feet.

The Anemo Hypostasis within it sprung to life and unfurled its shimmering wings, bringing forth a surging wind that flung Albedo and Rosaria forcefully away from each other. There was a shout as Rosaria flew backwards - righting herself in mid-air, she summoned a lance of ice and thrust it into the side of a tree, giving her an anchor against the raging winds.

Sucrose rushed over to Albedo and grabbed his wrist. "Mr Albedo, please stand up!"

Albedo groaned weakly as he tried to stand - Sucrose helped him to his feet. Behind her, the roars of the artificial Hypostasis's wings died out, and someone's feet slammed into the snow.

"Run!" Sucrose yelled.

She grabbed Albedo's hand and bolted as Rosaria screamed in rage. Something came hurtling through the air towards them, and Sucrose pulled Albedo aside - a polearm missed him by just a hair and smashed into a nearby tree, nearly toppling it.

Angry footsteps picked up behind them.

"Mr Albedo, I know you're exhausted, but you need to run!" Sucrose shouted, half-dragging and half-carrying Albedo along as she led him deeper into Dragonspine.

"Sucrose..."

"Just for a little while, I'm begging you!"

"You shouldn't have gotten involved...you're just...putting yourself at risk..."

"Please, just run!"

There was a splintering of wood behind them as Rosaria wrenched her polearm free, followed by a swirling roar like a snowstorm. Sucrose ducked as shards of ice flew over her head, their coldness sending a chill across her hair. She looked aside and shot a gust of wind at a large tree as she passed. Snow cascaded from its branches towards Rosaria - Sucrose caught a glimpse of her furious glare before she disappeared behind the cascading snow.

However, Sucrose knew a mere pile of snow wouldn't hold her for long. She glanced at Albedo, and thankfully he seemed to have regained some of his strength. He looked at her briefly with his weary gaze, as though still unable to understand her actions - then he gritted his teeth as he stood up straighter, continuing to follow Sucrose.

They hurried down the dark path for several seconds. They had picked up speed now, but it was clear Albedo still could not run without Sucrose supporting him. Sucrose felt uneasy - how long could they hold out in this state?

"Look out...!" Albedo breathed.

There was a silvery flash from above, and Sucrose looked up. Rosaria had teleported onto a nearby tree, her teeth bared in a snarl. She flung another ice lance at Albedo - Sucrose sent it spinning off-course with a blast of wind. Rosaria lunged at them, and Sucrose pulled Albedo aside, veering off the path into a gap in the trees.

"No...not there...!" Albedo suddenly gasped.

At first, Sucrose thought he was delirious - but then she remembered that Albedo knew this mountain better than anyone...

She caught sight of what was up ahead, and screeched to a halt, Albedo nearly falling over beside her. Ahead of them and on both sides, the ground under their feet gave way to the sharp edges of a cliff, so high up that the trees and river stretching out beneath them looked like mere illustrations on a map. Stepping forward nervously, Sucrose peered over the edge - serrated black rocks lined the bottom of the cliff, jutting up towards them like the teeth of a giant beast.

She staggered back to Albedo's side, her legs feeling weak. They couldn't go back through the trees, or they'd run into Rosaria...the only way out was-

Leaves rustled violently as someone burst out of the trees.

"This is your final warning. Hand him over. Now."

Sucrose whirled around. Rosaria stood before them, her chest heaving, her usually bloodless face flushed with anger and breathlessness. She took a rattling breath and raised her polearm over her head. Sucrose felt the air around them grow colder, as blue light surrounded the head of the polearm, Cryo energy accumulating on its tip...

Sucrose grabbed Albedo's hand.

"Jump!"

She pulled Albedo towards the edge of the cliff, and with a running start she leapt off the edge. Albedo lagged behind slightly, tugging on her hand for a split second before he too fell - Rosaria's polearm smashed into the ground above them, barely missing them and sending out a pulse of Cryo that nearly froze Sucrose's ears off.

The two began to plummet towards the spiked rocks below, the cold air slashing at their faces. All the breath left Sucrose's lungs, and she felt Albedo grip her hand tightly as he braced himself...

"Hold on!" Sucrose yelled.

With her free hand, she pulled out a vial from her coat, and uncorked it with her teeth. She flung it downwards, and it smashed open on the serrated rocks.

The wind spirit summoned an upward breeze, catching Sucrose and Albedo, slowing their descent. They crashed into the snow beside the spiked rocks, and tumbled roughly for several metres before they came to a stop by the river.

Sucrose lay still in the snow, cold air stabbing the inside of her lungs as she took in heavy breaths. She stared at the top of the cliff, watching intently...but she saw no discernible movement. Rosaria seemed to have given up.

Sucrose climbed to her feet, wiping wet snow off her shoulders. Next to her, Albedo lifted himself into a sitting position and rested his head against the dark spiked rocks.

"Thank you...Sucrose..."

"Wait."

Sucrose began to step away from Albedo, watching him with fearful eyes, her hand raised in warning.

"Is...is that really you, Mr Albedo?" she said breathlessly.

Albedo's tired face became taut as he frowned. "Surely there is nothing unusual about my appearance anymore...?"

"I don't - I don't know if I can trust my eyes. Those things Sister Rosaria said, I...I..." Sucrose shook her head slowly as though in pleading. "Please, tell me I didn't just make a grave mistake..."

Albedo raised his hand. "This is the real me. I swear."

Sucrose ceased her rambling, but was still on her toes.

"What's your title within the Knights of Favonius?" she demanded.

"Captain of the Investigation Team."

"What's Klee's favourite food?"

"Fried bass...particularly the ones from Cider Lake."

"What did you give me during the last Windblume Festival?"

"A Tetratanic Sweet Flower...it couldn't stay alive in the modern climate, so you preserved it in resin after it wilted."

At last, Sucrose let out a sigh of relief. A wave of fatigue swept over her, and she let herself fall back into the snow. For a moment she said nothing, silently leaning against the rocks and staring at Albedo as they both tried to catch their breath.

"I'm sorry if I pushed you too hard," Sucrose said after a long silence.

"It's alright - I understand that you were concerned for my life. But...I still stand by my argument that you should not have interfered. Sister Rosaria will not forget that you crossed her-"

Sucrose had no desire to discuss this subject any further. Cutting across him, she said:

"You knew something like this might happen, didn't you?"

Albedo stared at her in surprise for a second.

"So you could tell?" He lowered his gaze to the ground and sighed. "That is correct: I expected this scenario to happen someday. But please, believe me - I did not sit by idly and wait for this threat to bare its fangs. I made plans, precautions...but external forces I did not account for catalysed the process."

"If you knew, how could you not tell the other Knights?" Sucrose asked.

Albedo continued to stare at the ground. "I do not know the reason myself. I suspect...that I feared being ostracised. When I first came to Mondstadt, I was surprised by how conducive this place was to my research. I...did not want to lose that environment."

"So that's all Mondstadt was to you? Just...a place?" Sucrose asked, her voice cracking. "What about the rest of us? I - I find it hard to believe that you never cared-"

"Please, Sucrose, don't say that," Albedo turned to meet her gaze, an intense pain in his eyes. "As I said, I do not know the reason I kept this a secret - perhaps I did not want to see looks of fear and rejection in my comrades' eyes. They've given me a...company I've lacked since my teacher left me - even if I only realised that recently. Sucrose, I truly cared for everyone in Mondstadt. For Klee, for you, for..."

His voice trailed off. He looked away and closed his eyes.

"...it doesn't matter. My words cannot atone for the destruction I've caused."

"Then we should return to Mondstadt quickly," said Sucrose. "The Knights will give you a fair judgement. The fact that you took steps to prevent this calamity will surely land you a lighter sentencing-"

Albedo let out a dry, humourless laugh. He stood up and began to pace slowly, gazing down at his hands. The tatters of his coat billowed in the wind.

"My pitiful 'precautions' would only grant me a harsher punishment," he said. "In my hubris, I thought I could deal with this threat alone, deal with it in secret...and I failed to foresee that my master's enemies would use me for their plans. Now people have died for that folly, and the fault is mine. So..."

He looked disgusted with himself, and buried his head in his hands.

"...so I should not be allowed back into the city. Even isolating myself in Dragonspine for so many years was not enough to prevent this disaster. Perhaps...Sister Rosaria was right to try and end my life..."

At those words, Sucrose stood upright and walked over to Albedo. Her footsteps were firm even against the snow, the same burning conviction from earlier driving her body forwards.

"Mr Albe – no, Albedo."

She reached out and grabbed both his wrists.

"Please, look at me."

She pried his hands off his face gently, and coerced him to turn around, catching sight of his anguished expression...

...then she took two steps forward and wrapped her arms around him. Albedo jumped back slightly in surprise, but he stood his ground, letting Sucrose hold him in her tight embrace. She pressed her head against his neck and closed her eyes, and she continued to stay like this until Albedo finally relaxed, and she could feel the tension leaving his body.

Sucrose slowly opened her eyes to tear-stained glasses. A light sniffle escaped from her nose.

"Please, Albedo...don't ever say that," she said. "The person who helps me hold my head up high every time I feel like a mess, and the thing that destroyed the city today...they're not the same person. I - I don't really get what's going on...with you and your past...but I can confidently say that much. So please, I don't want to hear you say those things about yourself."

"Sucrose..."

Albedo raised his hand, hesitating slightly, then placed it behind Sucrose's head.

"...alright. I take back what I said."

"Thank you," said Sucrose, parting from the hug slightly to look up at him. "Just promise me you won't keep any secrets from now on."

Albedo firmly pulled her closer.

"Okay, Sucrose. You have my word."

He removed his hand from her head.

Without warning, Sucrose felt a strong impact to the side of her neck. She gave a jolt as a sharp noise escaped from her throat. Black dots clouded her vision, and her knees buckled. As she toppled sideways, Albedo caught her with one arm, and pressed a finger to her neck. There was a faint golden light, and Sucrose suddenly felt incredibly sleepy.

With a great effort, she looked up at Albedo's face. He was gazing at her with a nonchalant expression, his arms holding her in place. Sucrose tried to stand, but she lacked the energy...

Albedo gently lifted her up. As the last of her strength slipped away, Sucrose heard him utter:

"You won't have to deal with my lies ever again."

---

Sucrose awoke on a soft, warm mattress with hot sunlight shining on her face. The faint sound of clinking glass was coming from nearby, and her nostrils picked up the scent of medicinal herbs.

She opened her heavy eyelids, feeling like she had just slept for half a day. She appeared to be in a bedroom somewhere. As she stirred on the mattress, a blurry figure on the other side of the room looked round.

"Oh! You're finally awake," came Noelle's voice. "I am pleased to see that. Here are your glasses."

Noelle handed Sucrose her glasses, and she immediately put them on and looked around. She was back in the Knights' headquarters.

As she stared out of the window - it was late morning - she heard Noelle walk away and return with something that was clinking softly. Sucrose did not turn to look.

"We found you in a cave near the river in Dragonspine," said Noelle. "Someone had lit a fire next to you, but we don't know how long you were exposed to the cold for. So please, take this medicine."

"No need. Um - Noelle, how long have I been unconscious for?"

"It's currently almost midday."

A sinking feeling settled in her stomach.

"Where's the Acting Grand Master?" she asked.

She is currently in her office with-"

Sucrose immediately leapt out of bed and walked out of the door, ignoring Noelle's cry of protest. She crossed the hallway towards Jean's office, the door to which was ajar. As she passed by the giant crater that bored a hole into Albedo's lab, she caught a glimpse of several Knights talking to Kaeya.

"...sir, we found a sort of dungeon at the end of this tunnel, full of vials containing toxins and drugs. The alchemy team has been contacted for testing."

"Thank you. Anything else?"

"Uh, it looks like the majority of the tunnel was constructed long ago and then covered up; only the entrance appears to be newly made. Also, the tunnel leads north-west - directly away from Dragonspine."

"Interesting. Perhaps Albedo knew about this disaster beforehand, and tried to incapacitate himself..."

Sucrose walked past the crater and pushed open Jean's door. As it swung open silently, she saw Jean kneeling on the floor, her hands placed on Klee's shoulders as the latter sniffled quietly.

"Master Jean, I heard some people talking about Big Brother Albedo. Did...did something happen to him?"

"There was...um...we're not too sure what happened. We're currently trying to find out. But Albedo will be away for a long time."

Klee wiped her nose. "How long will he be away?"

"We don't know. But, um...Klee, it might be best if you don't think about him too much. It'll only make waiting harder."

"O-okay," said Klee. "Do you know where he is?"

"No. I'm sorry, Klee," said Jean, who seemed to be hesitating with every sentence she spoke, not sure whether they were the right things to tell Klee. "That's all I know, I swear. Why don't you go back to your room for a while? I need to talk to the other Knights."

Klee nodded then walked away, heading for the door in a sort of fast-paced stumble. She flung the door open without noticing Sucrose, nearly throwing her off-balance.

Sucrose gasped and caught herself on the doorframe, but then she locked eyes with a startled, still-kneeling Jean. She quickly stood up to get into a more dignified position and cleared her throat.

"I-I'm sorry, Acting Grand Master. Is this a bad time?" Sucrose asked.

"No. You may speak."

"Um...about yester-"

Jean shook her head. "If you wish to ask about Albedo's whereabouts, I am afraid we have no leads. In fact, I had meant to ask you that question myself - I know that you were the last person to see him."

"Oh. I'm terribly sorry."

"Do not apologise - Amber and Master Diluc reported what happened. Sister Rosaria was acting out of line."

"Are there currently any plans for the Knights to look for him?"

"I wish there were, but we do not have sufficient manpower at the moment. All our efforts are being directed into repairing the city."

"I see. Um...when you found me, was there...anything Mr Albedo left in that cave?"

Jean shook her head. "We combed the interior of the cave and the surrounding area. There was nothing anyone could have left behind."

Sucrose felt her ears fall.

"Okay then...thank you for your time."

"Take care."

Sucrose nodded and left dejectedly. Without really thinking where she was going, she headed downstairs and went back to her lab, her gaze fixed on the basement floor as she dragged her feet through the debris.

She doubted Albedo would ever return to Mondstadt - not after everything he'd said earlier. So that was his last act towards her, then? Knocking her out and then leaving her in a freezing cave for someone to find?

Sucrose felt her neck grow hot with mild displeasure. She felt vaguely like she had been cheated out of something she was owed. Albedo had helped her overcome so many difficulties, and been the only person she could ever talk to openly, and last night she jumped off a cliff for him. Surely their final meeting held more weight to him than that...?

As she turned to enter her lab, her coat brushed against the doorframe. Something inside it made contact with the hard surface.

Sucrose stopped in her tracks. She didn't recall putting anything there.

She reached inside her coat and found something that felt small and smooth. She pulled out the object - it was another paper Windwheel Aster, complete with a lush green stem.

Traces of writing were visible in between its folded petals.

Sucrose looked around - nobody was nearby. She hurriedly rushed inside her lab and shut the door behind her. Sitting down at her desk, she began feverishly unfolding the paper flower, her fingers slipping on the edges, crumpling the paper slightly whenever she held it too tight.

Finally, after a long, breathless moment, she unfolded the red paper and held it up to read the elegant white writing on its surface.

---

~~XxXxXxXxX~~

Dear Sucrose,

I apologise for subduing you earlier. I introduced the sleep-inducing spores of a certain plant into your bloodstream to make you fall unconscious. Please understand that I did not wish to do so. It was clear I could not convince you to let me go, so I chose the path with minimal conflict. Do not worry - there will be no lasting effects.

What happened today cannot be allowed to happen again. I cannot control this primordial force inside of me, nor can I exorcise it from my being. That is why as much as you wish for me to stay, I must leave everyone behind. I intend to seek out my master and tell her I failed her assignment - effectively, I am going into hiding. That is how you and the other Knights may view my departure. However, I am not leaving you without a solution to the problems I have caused. Inform Master Jean that she should visit my camp in Dragonspine regularly for a week - she should encounter someone there who can help repair the damage I've done. Also...tell her that she should not be alarmed by this individual's appearance.

I know what you are currently thinking, so I shall respond now: No, you cannot come looking for me. But I doubt that will be enough to convince you, so listen to what I have to say next: Sucrose, I know about your dreams of creating a 'paradise'.

Sucrose blinked twice as she stared at the paper. How did he-? She had never told anyone about her dream. Had she left an absent-minded scribble on one of her old notes, or jotted down her drowsy thoughts in the corner of some report?

Still, she supposed it was no surprise - there was nothing she could hide from Albedo.

It's an admirable goal, Sucrose, to try and preserve something you treasure. I recommend that you continue devoting your efforts and talent to this dream, and do not let my departure take up any of your time - in other words, let me go. Even if you are still determined to seek me out, I am venturing to far, untrodden corners of this world that would break any normal human. So please...forget about me. That is the final request I make of you as my lab assistant.

If only things had gone a little differently. I wish I could have stayed by your side longer. Farewell, Sucrose.

Best wishes,

Albedo

~~XxXxXxXxX~~

---

With a trembling hand, Sucrose ran her fingers across the white writing, feeling its texture and indents, feeling the last thing Albedo had left behind, as though reaching out for him through the impenetrable barrier of air and distance.

---

"You sure you wanna do this?"

A week had passed since Albedo's disappearance. Sucrose stood on the stairs between the plaza and Cathedral, overlooking the ruined plaza with Amber beside her. In her hand, Sucrose held a small bag of food, clothes, Mora, and other resources.

"I'll be alright," she replied. "I - I know I'm not an experienced adventurer, but having a Vision should allow me to hold my own longer than the average person. I have a good feeling about this."

Amber still looked doubtful, so Sucrose continued to speak.

"Don't worry, I'm not suicidal. I just want to try...for a few weeks or so. If I can't find any leads on his location, I'll come straight back."

"Do you even know where you're gonna start looking?"

"I'll try exploring some far-off Domains. He talked to me a lot about the Irminsul trees connected to the Ley Lines inside them...it was one of those enigmatic things he liked to talk about that I didn't quite understand. I think I'll be able to find answers there."

Amber took a deep breath and sighed.

"Okay, then. Guess I can't stop you. Please don't make me have to rescue you, alright? I'm really worried for you."

"You have my word."

Sucrose glanced behind her, and caught sight of a shadowy figure disappearing behind the Cathedral, her dark veil swishing in the morning wind.

It's probably best if I leave Mondstadt for a while, anyway...

She looked back towards the plaza, where Jean was supervising a blond figure dressed in a large cloak and hood, who was kneeling next to the damaged statue and a large pile of stones. Jean handed him a photograph, and the figure studied it for a second before nodding.

He pressed his hands against the rocks, and a blue light emanated from his palms as the rocks began to meld together and smoothen out like clay, becoming sleek and lightly coloured as the rock fused with the undamaged portion of the statue.

"I am sorry I cannot revert the Khemia that my...'brother' used to destroy this city, Miss Gunnhildr. I simply...do not have the same alchemical prowess. But I am still good enough at transmutation, so I can repair this damage. Just give me time."

"We are not in a rush, er...Subject Two. Anyway, you're already doing the work of twenty men. Your presence is greatly appreciated."

The figure gripped his hood awkwardly. "And when I'm done..."

"Your place within Mondstadt's walls is already secured. You may live as a normal human here."

The figure shook slightly with what looked like anticipation, and his glowing fingers flexed excitedly.

Sucrose looked at Amber. "Well...I'll be going now. Tell the others I said goodbye."

Amber looked at her for a second - then leapt forth and hugged her.

"Mmph!"

"Take care," said Amber before letting her go. "And may the wind keep you safe."

Sucrose nodded and gave her a smile before turning away. She headed down the stairs into the street below, and continued until she reached the city gates.

Looking over her shoulder, she took one last look at the damaged but healing city of Mondstadt - her home - then turned and carried on past the bridge and into the grassy fields, with only her bag and her Vision to accompany her, and the small paper flower tucked away in her coat.

As she walked, she kept thinking about Albedo's letter. For some reason, when Albedo had mentioned her dream, it lit a fire underneath her that convinced her beyond all doubt that she should venture out in search of him. It was a strange drive that she herself did not understand.

She knew it was utterly illogical - even though her childhood dream had shaped most of her life, there was no reason why it would drive her to do so much just to see Albedo again. For the better part of the last week, she had searched inside herself continuously for an answer - and as she lay sleeplessly in bed just two nights prior, she had finally found one.

All her life, she had been devoted to building her paradise. A perfect fantasy first dedicated to her and her friends, now left solely for herself and the memory of lost friendships. And for all her grandiose dreams and fantasies of perfection, she had forgotten one vital component of her magnum opus, one without which her creation would forever be imperfect.

Her paradise had always been meant to be shared with another.

---

I've been wanting to write an AlbeRose fic where Sucrose has to deal with the aftermath of Albedo's inevitable rampage for quite some time now, and I finally managed to get the idea out of my brain and onto a keyboard. Feels good. I hope you like it!

This fic's title was inspired by one of my favourite songs, Skyway Avenue by We The Kings. I thought it fit this story perfectly, because I feel that the Albedo/Sucrose ship perfectly exemplifies two characters who would quite literally jump off a cliff for each other.

Also, shoutout to Monolithiaaa for their incredible AlbeRose artwork and animation, which really gave me the push I needed to start writing this fic. Please take a look at their work!