Book 0: Prologue

Chapter 3: A Meeting and a Parting

Triunn floated through the dimly lit cave, having only his staff's glow and his entourage's torches to grant light. His eyes narrowed as he looked around. There wasn't even a single one of the guards that had been placed here. The various enchantments were gone as well. With all the rubble and piles of fallen rocks, it almost looked like an earthquake had hit.

Triunn barely glanced behind him. "All right, all of you, start clearing this rubble."

"Mimi dada!" A scattered series of affirmations arose from the hilichurls, and they scattered around the cavern.

Triunn began floating around, working on setting up some new spells to relight the room. He also looked for any clues that could point to what exactly had happened here. What on Teyvat could have not only caused this destruction but also erased the abyssal spells?

Whatever the case, he could only hope that the statue was unharmed, at least.

Triunn's attention was diverted by a portal appearing nearby. His body tensed, hoping dearly that it wasn't the Prince. A sense of relief swept over him when a tall armored warrior stepped out instead.

"Presager," Triunn greeted, "what brings you here?"

"The Prince sent me," Presager replied simply and grunted, looking around. "What happened?"

"We're still trying to find that out, sir."

Triunn led Presager deeper into the cavern, with the abyssal herald stopping every so often to check on things. Around them, the hilichurls continued to work on moving the boulders that had been dislodged from the ceiling and walls.

Presager let out a hum as he examined a strange marking on one of the boulders. Triunn drew closer, curious as to why this had drawn his superior's attention. Then, as he looked at it, Triunn noticed something.

"Is it just me, or does this look like…"

"Indeed," Presager confirmed as he rose to his feet. "It's almost like a shadow of a hilichurl burned into the stone."

A pit formed in Triunn's stomach. Looking around, he noticed several more of these shadows in the room. Every single one seemed to be in a resting position. He double-checked his count to be sure, but the number of guards that had been stationed here corresponded perfectly to the number of markings. A sense of nervousness arose within Triunn. A part of him had been hoping this was simply the result of Morax's pet dragon beginning to stir in its seal, but that was no longer a possible option.

Before Triunn could say anything, one of the hilichurls called out and drew his attention. Floating over, Triunn found the first bit of good news to come out of this disaster.

The lost Archon statue that they had been keeping here was intact.

"Good," Presager stepped forward, inspecting the statue to make sure it was truly undamaged, "as long as this is intact, the plan can move forward."

"What about what happened here?" Triunn questioned. "Should we move the statue to another location?"

Presager looked thoughtful but then shook his head. "No. I don't believe that will be necessary. This wasn't a targeted attack."

Triunn raised a brow. He was sure the dead hilichurls would probably say otherwise.

Presager continued, "Considering that the 'shadows' show no sign of being in combat or trying to flee, whatever happened occurred before they could even react. Furthermore, these markings are not shadows."

He summed forth a blade of hydro and cut through one of the marked boulders, revealing that the coloration inside was nearly identical to that of the markings.

Triunn stared at the stone, trying to work out what this meant. He'd seen a lot of things during his many years, but this was strange even by Abyss standards. Wracking his mind, Triunn eventually came up with a thought.

"Then," he started, "the markings are the original rock, while the surrounding surface was discolored."

Presager nodded. "Indeed. Something happened here that caused the exposed stone to be bleached. The areas behind the guards weren't exposed, so they retained their original hue." He went up and touched the marking. "Based on the residual energy, I think it was some kind of transportation spell."

A panicked sound left Triunn's throat. "Isn't that all the more reason to get out of here?"

The mage wasn't keen on experiencing whatever spell was powerful enough to bleach stone and disintegrate hilichurls in an instant. He very much preferred life.

"Don't worry, Triunn. This was a one-time occurrence." Presager arose and walked over to observe the hilichurls attempting to get the defiled statue back up.

"…Forgive me if I don't take you purely on your word," Triunn said dryly, ready to fly out of this chamber the moment he felt even the slightest droplet of magical energy.

Presager sighed. "It's rather simple. If this was a teleportation spell, that would mean something was moved here. However, since there's nothing here now, it was most likely a living thing. It wasn't an attack from Celestia, as they left the defiled statue and didn't set up any traps. Finally, there's the issue of the spell itself. Being powerful enough to bleach stone and vaporize living beings doesn't seem like the kind of thing that would be all that useful for ordinary transportation."

Triunn raised his hand to his chin. That was true. This kind of transport spell wouldn't be beneficial. In fact, perhaps that's why this cave was targeted. The user thought it was abandoned. But the more important issue was why would any transportation spell be this powerful. Unless the power was more of a side effect rather than an intended part of the spell.

With that thought, an idea came to Triunn. His head shot up. "You don't mean—"

"Yes." Presager nodded, his voice grave. "Our mysterious visitor may very well be an Outlander. It would certainly explain several things." He brought a hand to his chin and looked deep in thought. "Perhaps… No. For now, we'll strengthen the guard here and set up scouts along the perimeter. While I doubt we have to worry about the possible Outlander, we may have to move locations if the adepti decide to investigate things."

Presager opened up a portal and stepped through it. Triunn figured he was off to make a report to the Prince. After the portal had closed, Triunn stared at one of the dark marks.

Could this really have been an Outlander? If Presager's theory was true, with a spell of this level, Triunn wondered just what kind of fearsome being had made its way to Teyvat.

###

"Oh, sweet heavenly mercy!" I cried out as I pulled myself out of the water and onto the safe harbor of land. "I'll never take you for granted again, solid ground!"

It'd been several hours since I first set off, and I'd finally reached the opposite shore of the river. But to do so, I'd had to swim across. I tried to mitigate this by getting to the closest point. But even from the peninsula I'd started swimming from, it had still been a decent distance to swim. Usually, this wouldn't have been an issue.

Except, considering that the last time I went swimming, I ended up reptile chow, I had naturally been a bit nervous about returning to the hellscape called "water."

I had tried to get over as fast as was humanly possible, especially when I had felt something brush against my leg. In hindsight, it was probably just a piece of foliage. But at the time, a surge of adrenaline made me swim faster than I ever had before.

Catching my breath on the shore, I stared up at the sky. The formerly beautiful azure sky was now brimming with lots of dark-grey clouds. They'd gradually accumulated for the past half-hour. A distant peal of thunder confirmed that these were storm clouds. A rather unfortunate stroke of luck.

I pushed myself up, cringing a bit at the feeling of my wet clothes. Of course, part of it was just from the ordinary uncomfortable feeling of soaked clothing, but the wind chill was also a factor.

As much as I'd have liked to stay and let my clothes dry for a bit, I needed to get moving with the storm approaching. If I couldn't make it to that village, I at least needed to try to find some sort of shelter and get a fire going.

If I remembered correctly, the buildings I had seen earlier looked like they were to the right of where I was currently. So, with that idea, I began following the path in that direction.

The road eventually took me past some sort of ruin. I considered stopping here, but a brief look revealed a lack of decent shelter. So instead, I decided to continue on. I saw well-worn tracks in the dirt, which gave me hope that the road actually led somewhere with people.

I shivered as the wind picked up in strength, and another crack of thunder tore through the air. Naturally, I picked up my speed a bit. No time to dawdle.

With every passing minute, the weather continued to worsen. And it wasn't long before I began to feel raindrops. My brisk walk transformed into a run as the raindrops fell faster. Soon after, a full-blow downpour was bearing down on me.

It really was a good thing that I didn't stop to dry my clothes.

As the rain continued, I noticed something that made my heart nearly leap for joy. It was a pavilion, just the kind of shelter I needed right now. I rushed toward it and leaped over the wall into the dry interior.

Breathing a sigh of relief, I took the chance to finally sit down. I leaned back, and all the accumulated exhaustion hit me like a herd of elephants. I hoped I'd be able to find something edible around here later with the help of [Noesis] and [Sophia]. I was definitely going to need it.

I rested a hand on my stomach. "Hang in there, little buddy."

Since there was no one else in the area, and my wet clothes were starting to chafe, I decided this would be an excellent chance to start drying out.

It didn't take long for me to slip out of the clothes I'd been incarnated with. Apparently, Hodegos had gone with a "simple is best" approach, with a plain shirt and pair of trousers. I decided to leave on my undergarments, which were basically ye olde boxers. I think they were called braies-or something along those lines-and had a drawstring to tighten the waistband.

Note to self: if they don't exist in this world, find some cloth and try to make boxer briefs.

I wrung as much water out of my clothes as possible, then hung them over the railing and returned to my seat. A flash of lightning crashed down from the sky, hitting somewhere nearby. I couldn't quite see where it hit, but considering the marshy environment, I probably didn't have to worry about a fire.

"—"

My ears twitched as a sound distinct from the falling rain broke through the heavy downpour. I tried to focus on it a bit more.

"—aaa! Hurry! We're almost there!" Then, as the sound finally became close enough to be understandable, I realized it was a voice.

Within moments, I found myself face-to-face with another person. A youthful-looking girl stood just at the entrance of the pavilion. Not even a second later, another figure came up behind her—a guy this time. As he also made his way to the entryway, his feet slid out from under him. His body crashed into his companion, and before I even had a chance to react, both slammed into me.

It took a moment for my bearings to return. I almost wished they hadn't.

Thanks to the crash, the guy had landed with his face way too close to my crotch for my comfort. Unfortunately, he was unable to escape, as he had somehow ended up pinned underneath the girl. Speaking of which, the girl's position was probably even worse. Her face was lying directly on my chest, and her own modest chest was pressed against my bare stomach. I could all but feel all my blood rushing to my face.

#Notice. Elevated heart rate detected.#

I ignored Sophia. Partly because even I could have figured that out, but also because my mind was still stuck on the soft feeling squishing against my lower torso.

The girl finally stirred, looking up at me. Staring into her striking crimson eyes and beautiful face, my face heated up even more. I ended up letting out a rather undignified sound, like a cross between a yelp and a squeak. A faint blush crossed her face, and she hurried to scramble off me. Her companion was quick to extricate himself as well.

Both of them began offering rapid-fire apologies, to the point where I could barely make out what they were saying. I quickly pull my still-damp shirt back on. I may be many things, but being confident enough to be bare-chested in front of other people was not one of them. Especially when one of them was a cute girl.

As the two continued their attempts to apologize, I raised my hand. "Um, you really don't have to apologize or anything. It was an accident, and it's not like I was injured."

The two finally quieted down, and the girl coughed into her hand. "Regardless, I still am sorry."

The boy chuckled nervously, scratching at his nose. "Yeah, same here. If anything, it probably was my fault."

I blinked in confusion. I mean, I understood the slipping, but it wasn't like he intended to do that. I push those thoughts aside, though. The sooner we stopped talking about the incident, the sooner it would leave my memory.

#Notice. Due to the effects of [Sophia], the loss of information no longer occurs.#

Are you freaking kidding me? Forget about this. What if I end up seeing something actually horrifying in the future?

#Query. Do you wish to partition a section of mental space for memories to be kept locked away?#

That kind of thing was possible? Of course I'd want that! Even if I don't get much use out of it, just knowing that I have a dark corner of my mind to shovel my unwanted memories into would be incredibly reassuring. But wait, I was getting distracted.

I returned my attention to my two new acquaintances. "Anyway. Unorthodox introduction notwithstanding, it's nice to meet you two. My name is—" I hesitated for a moment but quickly shook it off. "I'm Zachary Breathnach."

I'd briefly contemplated using a different name, but I couldn't do it. Right now, it was the last and only connection I had to my family. I couldn't just throw it away.

The girl inclined her head in greeting. "Likewise. My name is Yun Jin."

"And I'm Bennett."

I noted that Yun Jin's name sounded Asian—or rather, Asian-inspired considering this is a different world—so that would mean Yun was probably her surname.

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you two," I said with a grin and offered each a handshake. Curiously, I noticed a strange expression briefly cross Yun Jin's face, almost like confusion or bewilderment, but it was quick to disappear.

With the introductions out of the way, I took a moment to study the two. They looked around the same age, with Yun Jin appearing slightly more mature. They don't look similar enough to be family, further supported by their names, so I figured they must be friends or maybe an adventuring party. The only thing that put that into question was Yun Jin's outfit.

While it wasn't absurdly fancy by any stretch of the imagination, it didn't seem like the kind of thing that would be practical for adventuring. While it was currently as soaked as the rest of her, the long-sleeved dress was a beautiful shade of dark purple. Underneath was a white skirt, and a hat of some kind topped her long black hair.

It was a stark contrast to Bennett's outfit, which all but screamed "adventurer." He wore a sleeveless beige jacket that exposed a rather prominent scar on his left shoulder and a pair of navy-colored shorts. Around his right bicep was a yellow bandanna, and goggles rested atop a head of pale ash-colored hair. Frankly speaking, I couldn't help but think that he looked like some sort of shounen protagonist.

As the silence between the three of us continued, I tried to start up a conversation.

"So," I began," you two adventurers or something?"

I'd never been much of a conversationalist, but I hoped this was a good topic for getting things rolling.

Unsurprisingly, Bennett nodded. "Yep. Or I am, at least. Miss Yun isn't part of the guild."

So there was some sort of adventuring guild in this world. That was good to know. I hoped that I'd be able to sign up somewhere, though I wondered if it would even be possible considering my complete lack of background. If it just required some sort of payment to join, I could get that from odd jobs. But I'd be screwed if I needed any legal papers.

"So you're not an adventurer?: I looked over to Yun Jin, even more curious about her now, and she nodded while smoothing out her skirt.

"Indeed. I…" She took off her hat and placed it to the side to dry, looking thoughtful before continuing, "I work for an opera troupe. Our leader wants to develop a new story, so I'm taking a trip to look for inspiration."

An opera troupe? That sounded so cool! I'd never had the chance to see an Asian-style opera before, but I'd always wanted to.

"So that's how it is. Let me know whenever you guys are ready to put it on. I'd love to come see it and cheer you on." Something came to my mind, and I closed my eyes in thought. "Well, I don't know if you'll be performing in it, but still."

Yun Jin's expression once again flickered with something akin to amazement. She was quick to hide it, but it looked like her eyes now had a strange spark in them. What was that about?

She returned to normal quickly, though. "I shall be sure to do that." She shuffled around a bit. "And you? What brings you out here?"

Right now, I was grateful that I had already worked on my story during my trek. Ad-libbing was definitely not one of my specialties. Quickly preparing myself, I told them the version I had eventually settled on.

According to my new backstory, I was a wanderer. I'd been born and grew up in a secluded, remote village—I hoped this would help explain my ignorance about the world. Recently, a group of bandits had attacked the village, and I was the sole survivor since I was away at the time. So, leaving my ruined hometown, I'd set off to explore the world.

"And that's about it," I finished, rubbing the back of my head. "I thought I saw some buildings atop or beyond this mountain, so that's where I was heading."

Bennett and Yun Jin were both silent, and the latter lowered her head.

"It may not mean much considering we have only just met," she said in a quiet voice, "but I am sorry for your loss."

I shook my head and told her that it was fine. It was a bit awkward receiving condolences for this, even if I should have expected it. After all, I was actually the one who died, not my family. But I had wanted an untraceable story, and a destroyed village not on any map was the best way to do that.

I looked down at my hand. "My family may no longer be with me, but I know they wouldn't want me to wallow in despair. They'd want me to move forward with a smile, so that's what I'll do."

Yun Jin folded her hands atop her lap. "I see. Your strength is commendable."

"If you don't have anywhere to go," Bennett spoke up, a bit of excitement to his tone, "you should join the Adventurer's guild. I'm sure that you'd be able to find a new home there."

I smiled in thanks. "I'll be sure to remember that."

"Anyway," Yun Jin interjected, "you said you saw buildings, right? Well, the only village in the area is Qingce Village, but I'm afraid you're going the wrong way to reach it."

Wait, really? Of course it would figure that I managed to choose the wrong path. I'd always had horrible luck when it came to 50/50 decisions.

I sighed in resignation. Well, I guess it wasn't all that bad. After all, I wouldn't have met these two if I had gone the correct path. Things worked out in the end, I supposed. It could have been worse.

Putting the issue of my horrible direction skills aside, I asked Yun Jin and Bennett where they were going. Bennett pointed his finger toward the path leading through a valley between two mountains. According to him, they were heading north to a city called Mondstadt. Currently, we were near the edge of a country known as Liyue.

That definitely sounds German. So we've got some sort of East Asian-inspired land—probably China—and a Central European-inspired area, at the very least. I found it interesting, to say the least. After all, both Bennett and Yun Jin seemed to speak the same language fluently. A common language of the world, perhaps? But there were still clearly different languages, so were they just a thing of the past? I had to add that to the list of things to research once I could get to a library.

"Why don't you come with us?" Bennett suggested.

That was actually a pretty good idea. Just wandering around wasn't going to get me anywhere, as evidenced by me going in the opposite direction from my original destination. Joining up with these two would not only help me actually get somewhere civilized, but it would also have several other benefits. It would be safer, for one, as I doubted that slimes were the only kind of dangerous being in this world. Additionally, it was possible that I would be able to glean more information about Teyvat from them.

I quickly agreed to Bennett's proposal, and he grinned in response. With a new plan of travel set in stone, I felt confident in my decision.

The sound of the rain was quieting down, and the downpour did seem to be letting up. However, it had also gotten very late. While the cloud cover was making it noticeably darker, I wagered that the sun was already at the horizon by now.

Yun Jin noticed this as well. "Hmm. It looks like sunset's upon us. What do you two say about staying here for the night?"

I was quick to agree, along with Bennett. Not only would this give us shelter from the elements, but Yun Jin also explained that we'd be unlikely to be attacked in our sleep since there was some sort of outpost for soldiers nearby.

Shortly after our decision, the rain finally stopped, just before the last light of the sun completely left the sky. Before it got completely dark, we decided to try to find materials to start a fire. Bennett and Yun Jin would deal with finding kindling and tinder, and I would look for wood. Despite it having just rained, I wasn't too worried about being unable to find dry wood. After all, I had another plan in mind for that.

Outside the Gazebo, I headed to the back of it and knelt down. Sure enough, it was there just as I remembered: a pile of firewood, albeit wholly soaked. I had spotted it out of the corner of my vision when I first arrived but hadn't paid it much mind. In fact, it was Sophia who reminded me about it. And with this, it was time to put the last of my skills to the test—the Principle of Metamorphosis [Alchymia].

I grabbed one of the logs and closed my eyes to focus. If I was right, I should be able to get rid of the moisture from the wood. I concentrated intently, getting the image of the molecular structure of water into my mind. Just two hydrogen atoms joined to an oxygen one. Simple. But the form wasn't what I needed to worry about; it was the speed of their movement. If I could just speed up the water molecules…

It took a few moments, but with Sophia's help, I managed to get it done. Steam rose from the wood as the water turned to vapor. And now, I was holding onto a dry log. I grinned in satisfaction and then repeated the process on the rest of the logs.

Bringing the wood around, I contemplated how useful [Alchymia] could be in combat situations. Right now, it just wasn't very feasible. The required concentration and time for even a simple transformation like water to steam would be lethal in a real battle. So, for now, it would purely be an out-of-combat skill until I could train it up. Even if I couldn't do complex transformations, things as simple as turning dirt to mud could be a huge turn-around in combat.

Yun Jin and Bennett joined back up with me soon after. Their search was also a success. While it wasn't a lot, they had managed to find some dry material that would hopefully be enough to get the fire going. But, of course, we had to get some sparks going first.

"I don't suppose either of you has a flint?" I asked as I stacked the wood into a good formation.

"Don't worry," Bennett thumbed at his nose, "leave that to me."

He stepped forward and held out a hand. I noticed the strange jewel-like ornament on his bag pulse with light. A moment later, a tiny spark of flames emerged from his hand. With that, our campfire was lit.

Still being quite damp, the heat felt incredible as it seeped into my body. After moving my wet trousers closer to the fire to dry, I turned to Bennett.

"So you have a," I tried to remember what Hodegos had called them, "Vision, huh?"

I remembered Hodegos saying that people could control an element using these Vision things, but I never would have expected to meet someone with one so soon.

Bennett nodded. "Yep. Comes in handy in times like this."

A strange smell hit my nose, and I looked down. Yun Jin apparently noticed it as well, saying, "Um, Bennett—"

Bennett folded his arms. "Unfortunately, Pyro has a lot of destructive potential, so I have to be really careful when using it."

"Hey, Bennett—"

"I usually just infuse it into my weapon, though even that can backfire sometim—"

"Bennett!" Both Yun Jin and I yelled, finally getting him to stop, and I pointed down at his feet. "Your shoes are on fire!"

He shouted in panic, rushing to the water's edge. I heard a light splash, and Bennett returned a few moments later with steaming and slightly charred shoes. When he sat back down, he did so a bit further away from the fire than he had before.

Between this and him tripping earlier, Bennett really seemed to be pretty unlucky. It wasn't quite Touma Kamijou levels of misfortune yet, but I had only known him for a little while.

It didn't take long for the sky to get completely dark, with the exception of the glow of the moon and the multitude of stars. The three of us chatted for a little while, with both sharing some of their food with me. I learned that Yun Jin also had a Vision, though hers was apparently of the "Geo" element. I then decided to ask them how the two of them had met.

According to their story, Bennett had traveled to Yun Jin's home city of Liyue Harbor as part of a commission—something about bringing some kind of herbs to bring back to Mondstadt. Yun Jin had been wanting to travel to Mondstadt for research and asked Bennett to escort her there. Apparently, her guardians were pretty protective, so that had been the only way she had managed to convince them to let her go.

And that was pretty much the story. Bennett and Yun Jin were about as familiar with each other as I was with them.

A yawn escaped from my mouth. I almost forgot how exhausted I was. Yun Jin chuckled lightly before yawning herself. Off to the side, I could see Bennett struggling to keep his eyes open as well.

"It is quite late," Yun Jin stated. "We should probably get some sleep for tomorrow."

"Don't have to tell me twice," I replied, settling into as comfortable a position as was possible on the bare ground. Luckily, sleeping on uncomfortable surfaces was somewhat of a specialty of mine.

Lying back, I noticed just how different the night sky was from that of Earth's. While I wasn't some kind of expert in astronomy, I couldn't even spot a single recognizable constellation or asterism within the vast heavenly expanse.

I really was in a different world.

It hadn't quite hit me until this moment. The excitement and wonder had done a good job of distracting me. But now that I finally had a chance to rest, it fully sunk in. I really will never see my family again.

As a began to drift off, I almost felt like I could see an image of my family. It was hazy and felt like the beginning of a dream, but it was unmistakable. My mother, brother, and sister. All three of them were there.

'Thank you for everything,' I say to myself, even if they are nothing more than figments of my mind. 'I love you all.'

As my mind fell fully into the realm of dreams, the forms of my family faded away like ephemeral phantoms. And with them, I officially bade farewell to my old life.

###

The god known as Rukkhadevata had been dead for five hundred years. The only thing that remained of her were the memories etched into the World Tree [Irminsul]. This footprint of the former Dendro Archon had been waiting. She waited for the day to come when her original self's final wish would finally be realized. Until then, she was confined to Irminsul like the rest of the information it contained.

Naturally, being so intertwined with Irminsul, it was a shock to the remnant of Rukkhadevata when she sensed a new connection being forged to the tree. Only the Akasha System and the Dendro Archon—currently Kusanali—should have this kind of access to the tree of knowledge.

Wondering what would even have the capability of doing such a thing, and worried about the consequences of that, Rukkhadevata decided to investigate.

Studying the connection, she found that it wasn't as strong or absolute as that held by the Archon or Akasha System. It was much weaker and somewhat reminded Rukkhadevata of how the Akasha Terminals interfaced with the Akasha System. At the very least, it calmed the former Archon's worries. Something like this wouldn't be able to cause any damage. It seemed like all it could do was retrieve information from Irminsul.

Curiosity seized Rukkhadevata. Even as nothing more than a phantasm, her desire for knowledge and new experiences was just as strong as ever. Since she had nothing better to do anyway, she followed the new connection.

It was easy to follow, which was a surprise. Rukkhadevata would have anyone capable of and trying to tap into Irminsul to at least try to cover his tracks. This was clearly the work of an amateur. A part of her had thought that this might be a foolish plot by the sages, but even they wouldn't be this naive.

Getting to the end of the path, she found that it was directly connected to a person's soul. She tried to run a quick analysis on who this was through Irminsul but was shocked when the search returned no data at all.

In spite of herself, a thrill of excitement that she hadn't felt in centuries rushed through her. The allure of the unknown was calling to her. Who was she to ignore it?

Entering into the strange soul, she immediately began to look for any memories. What she found was astonishing. Memories of an entirely different world than Teyvat appeared before her. A world full of so many things that were unknown to her, and yet it was also devoid of a great deal that she found familiar. It certainly helped explain why there was no information in Irminsul on the young man.

Rukkhadevata withdrew from the memories. While her curiosity had not quite been slaked, she did not wish to intrude on someone's memories without their permission. So, for now, those desires would just have to go unfulfilled.

However… It wasn't like she knew for certain whether this new soul was a danger to Irminsul. Yes, she still had little knowledge about this child. In that case, it would be natural—no, prudent—to continue to keep an eye on things. Even if she was merely the afterimage of a god, it was still her duty to look after something like this.

It wasn't because she wanted the chance to learn more. No, not at all. This was simply to make sure that there wasn't any danger to Irminsul from this human. And if she got to learn a lot of new things, that was just a bonus. A wonderful, incredible bonus, to be sure.

Of course, she couldn't just introduce herself to this "Zachary." Not yet, at least. She'd wait and bide her time. Then, when the opportune moment came, she'd appear to him and ask him to spill all of the fascinating information about his world.

All she had to do was wait.

#Extra#

(Earth - One week after Zachary's death)

Brendan stared vacantly at the casket containing his elder brother's body. Or what was left of it, at least. He could still hardly believe that Zach had died. Part of Brendan still expected his brother to rise from the coffin and crack a joke about the "grave atmosphere" or something like that.

But that was nothing more than a fanciful wish.

Brendan looked to his side, where his younger sister Maisie was still crying. She'd taken it hard, harder than even Brendan had expected. He was just thankful she hadn't been there to witness the event. Not like him. Both Maisie and their mother, Leah, had been making a trip to the bathroom at the time. But Brendan had seen everything, and he was sure that the memory would haunt his nightmares until the day he died.

He violently clenched his fists, his palms turning red. 'Didn't you say you were going to outlive all of us?'

Brendan gently placed a hand on Maisie's head. "You finished with your goodbyes?"

She said nothing, merely nodding in response. She attempted to wipe her tears away, but they were just as quickly replaced. Brendan led her away from the casket, heading over to where their mother was. She was talking with one of her family members, one of the many who had come to Zach's funeral.

"I'll talk to you later," the older woman said as the two embraced, then she walked off.

Maisie went over and immediately buried her face into Leah's clothes. Leah gingerly hugged her and rubbed her back. Brendan caught up soon after.

"So I guess we're heading inside for dinner now?" He asked, noticing that some of the crowd had already gone into the church to find their seats.

"If you two are ready," Leah replied with a voice so empty that it made Brendan's heart constrict. He'd never seen her like this before. He was so used to the image of his mother as a strong, unbreakable bastion that witnessing her in this state was like looking at an entirely different person.

"Excuse me," an unfamiliar voice reached Brendan's ears, "you are Zachary's family, correct?"

Brendan turned around but was surprised to see someone he didn't recognize. He couldn't even remember seeing this person at the memorial service. It was an older gentleman with slightly androgynous features. He was dressed like he hadn't quite got the memo that it was the 21st century. His formal suit wouldn't look out of place in the late 1800s or early 1900s.

"That's right," Brendan answered. "And you are?"

"Apologies. My name is Hodegos." He removed his hat, placing it over his chest as he bowed his head lightly in greeting.

"You knew Zachary?" Leah questioned, with Brendan wondering much the same thing. His brother wasn't exactly the social type, so he found it hard to believe that there was someone Zach was acquainted with that none of them knew about.

Hodegos nodded. "In a manner of speaking. I only met him once, which was fairly recently, but he left quite the impact."

Brendan chuckled sadly. That was just like Zach. Even if he was usually reserved, he had quite the penchant for impressing people. Whether it was with his impressive collection of trivia or through one of his many hare-brained schemes, Zach was just the kind of person who was hard to forget if he opened up to someone.

"When I found out about his funeral, I decided that the least I could do was come and pay my respects. "Hodegos looked towards the coffin with a saddened expression, then stared at Leah. "This world truly is worse off for the loss of your son."

Leah smiled bittersweetly. "Thank you. That means a lot, and I believe Zachary would also appreciate your kind words."

The conversation was apparently too much for Maisie, as she let out a choked cry. "I just want to see him again."

Hodegos' eyes became clouded, a deep sorrow unlike anything Brendan had ever seen filling his gaze. Hodegos knelt down and placed a hand on Maisie's shoulder.

"I didn't know your brother long, but I know one thing for sure. If he was here, he'd tell you that he was sorry for leaving all of you behind but that none of you have to worry or be sad. He'd let you know that he would be fine, so none of you have to despair."

Maisie's tears renewed again, and a lump formed in Brendan's throat. That did sound exactly like their older brother. Always trying to make them feel better, no matter what.

A strange chill crept across Brendan's body, goosebumps raising up across his arms and the back of his neck. It was like a cool breeze had just passed him, except there hadn't been a gust of wind for that to be possible. But that was nothing compared to what came next.

A sound so silent that Brendan nearly missed it reached his ears. It was like a whisper. "Thank you for everything. I love you all."

Brendan turned so quickly that he nearly gave himself whiplash. He looked behind him to where he thought he had heard the voice. It had sounded almost exactly like…

But when he turned, he saw nothing but empty space. He would have just chalked it up to his mind playing tricks on him if it wasn't for the fact that his mother and sister had turned as well. Leah had wide eyes, and Maisie was frantically looking around as well. So while he couldn't be sure, Brendan figured they had heard it too.

Brendan wondered if Hodegos had heard it as well. "Hodegos, did you—"

But when he faced back around, Hodegos was nowhere to be found. It was like he had just disappeared.

Brendan blinked in confusion, then glanced back at his mother. She seemed just as bewildered. It was strange, and yet, for the first time in a week, Brendan felt a sense of peace. He wasn't entirely sure what had happened, but that didn't matter. Now, everything was going to be just fine—for all of them, and for Zachary. He just knew it.

~End of Prologue~

I'm not dead! So quick explanation for the unexpected hiatus. A bunch of stuff happened in my life, including graduating from college. But the main thing was my grandfather passing away, which sort of threw me into a slump where I couldn't get the motivation to write. I also had some health issues of my own-apparently, I have high blood pressure. But I'm back now. And all of the lore we've gotten for Genshin since the last chapter has given me a bunch of inspiration for the future of the story.

This chapter had several POV switches, which I was bit unsure of at first, but ultimately deemed necessary for later plot lines. This is also the first chapter with an "Extra." These will be scenes that usually will have no bearing on plot or character development, but are still canon and wanted to include for some reason. They'll most likely be rare. This extra was just to show that Hodegos kept his word, and it also helped sell the theme of this chapter.

Also for those who don't get the "Touma Kamijou" reference for Bennett, it refers to the protagonist of A Certain Magical Index. He has an ability which nullifies anything supernatural, which includes good luck.