Okay, so, I'm posting the first two chapters of this revised Genshin Impact crossover simultaneously. If you've come to this chapter, don't forget to read the prior chapter first, okay?

THE DENDRO ARCHON'S SIBLING

CHAPTER 2:

AFTERMATH OF A RESCUE

In her time travelling Teyvat, and across other worlds too, Alice had developed a fairly rough ordinal scale of the seediness of pubs. This pub in the Caravan Ribat sat comfortably in the middle of that scale: reputable enough so that people in general could have a drink and have a good chance of not being involved in a pub brawl, but seedy enough that furtive dealings went on here much of the time. Of course, people had to keep an eye out for the Matra, the closest thing Sumeru had to a police force, but even their General Mahamatra came here for a drink and a few rounds of Genius Invocation TCG. Cyno may not tolerate any shady dealings done in his sight, but he wasn't going to shut down a pub just because it had them on occasion.

Besides, even Cyno knew that not all of the shady deals done here were actually illegal, or at least were close to the border. His concern was when people flouted the rules outright, not nudged the borders. And Alice knew of him enough that, if he knew what she was about to do, he would applaud it. While Cyno preferred to stick to the law, Alice was sure, given what she knew of him, that in a choice between the law and morality, he'd stick to morality.

And people used this place to hire mercenaries all the time anyway, and for legitimate reasons, more often than not. The Eremites, the umbrella term for the people living in Sumeru's vast deserts to the west of the rainforest, was also the term that applied to the various mercenary groups that were often formed by Eremites. Many in Sumeru, especially the Sages, sneered at the Eremites, even when they hired them to do their bidding, but Alice liked many of the peoples of the desert. True, some were the bandits or cutthroats that reputation made them out to be, especially those idiots believing that King Deshret would rise again.

But others were normal, if pragmatic people who were amongst the best warriors outside of Natlan. And even many of the mercenaries had principles. Indeed, it was one of the more principled mercenaries she was waiting for.

Speak of the Devil, and she's coming up. "Good morning. Pretty early to meet for a commission, but I've had worse," the young woman said. "Besides, when I heard that the writer of the Teyvat Travel Guide wanted to hire me, well, I was intrigued."

"I'm glad you are. But while I am funding your job, giving you enough to cover at least a few months, I am not asking you to guard me. Not that I need it, anyway. No, your job is to help guard a group of individuals currently based in Gandharva Ville. While I trust Tighnari and his Forest Watchers, this is still important enough that I feel the need to have extra insurance. Which is where you come in. Aside from the reputation of your formidable combat ability, you are also one of the most open-minded of your people, or indeed of anyone in Sumeru, to say nothing of your compassion."

The young woman scoffed quietly. "Okay, I can tell you're buttering me up, but that's not inaccurate. But can you start giving me details? I don't like being tied down to a single job for that long, unless it's really important."

"…How does protecting the Dendro Archon and the people she holds dear from the Sages sound?"

The young woman's eyes widened in shock, before they became pensive. Not calculating, as this was far less cold an emotion. "…I still want to hear more. Lesser Lord Kusanali needs protection from the people she's supposed to rule?"

"…I'd suggest not calling her 'Lesser Lord' in front of them. She's fine with it, but her brother…well, he doesn't like it. Oh, he's not an Archon, not a deity, but he's her brother as far as they are concerned…and he probably rescued her from the Sanctuary of Surasthana some hours ago."

The young woman chuckled. "Then by all means…tell me more…"

Harry's sleep had been more or less dreamless. In some ways, he was thankful, as he didn't have nightmares of Voldemort, of the Death Eaters, of the Basilisk and Dementors. But in others, he was kind of hoping to meet his sister again in his dreams. The last time he had seen Nahida in his dreams was shortly before Alice arrived in Britain. True, that wasn't unusual, he'd sometimes go for weeks, even months without seeing Nahida, but it was still disheartening.

So he woke up a little disappointed, but as he showered and dressed in the Expanded Trunk that served as a mobile home of sorts, he knew he shouldn't be. He'd met Nahida in reality. He'd saved her from the prison the very people who were supposed to worship her had locked her into. He could meet and talk with her in reality, at long last!

So, with those thoughts buoying his spirits, he emerged from the Expanded Trunk to find an interesting scene. Nahida was speaking with that green-haired, purple-eyed teenager from yesterday, that apprentice of Tighnari's. Collei, was it? They were the only ones present in the hut he had been assigned, at least for now.

"…Sounds fascinating," Nahida said. "Maybe I should try reading one myself."

"I'd be happy to lend you one of my light novels, Nahida!" Collei said. "Umm, some are a bit dark, but…"

"Life is filled with darkness," Nahida said. "The mistake too many make is assuming darkness to be the only thing there. Light is there too. Between them, the world has texture and contrast. Don't worry, I'll be fine." She turned to see Harry, and smiled. "Good morning, Harry."

"Morning, Nahida, Collei," Harry said. "Sleep well, Nahida?"

"Actually, I didn't sleep last night," Nahida said. "I'd already been sleeping when you freed me, and I need less sleep than humans do. I spent much of last night speaking with Tighnari. It's quite refreshing to meet a member of the Akademiya with the right mix of an open mind and critical thinking. And your friend Hermione also asked me all sorts of questions. She's sleeping it off."

Harry chuckled, even as Nahida toddled over to him. "Yeah, that sounds like Hermione. You should have seen her running herself ragged with a Time-Turner back in our third year. Even for a Ravenclaw, you'd think there'd be limits to how much one could learn. You sure you didn't need sleep, Nahida?"

"…I've slept enough for now. Don't worry, I'll sleep when I need to. Anyway, I was just talking to Collei…about her past. I got a little of it from Tighnari while I was asking about things that had happened over the past five centuries that I was unaware of. Let's just say Collei's been through a lot."

"What do you mean?"

It was Collei who responded. The girl seemed both cheerful, and yet shy, as oxymoronic as that seemed. "Umm, Nahida said you could be trusted, though some of it's not really a secret," she said, carefully removing the fingerless glove on one of her hands, revealing dark, scaly growths. "I suffer from Eleazar."

"Eleazar…isn't that a leprosy-like disease?" Harry asked, peering at the growths, mindful not to touch them.

Nahida nodded. "It's not contagious like leprosy is. I suspect I know what the cause may be, but it's not caused by a pathogen, like a bacterium, a fungus or a virus. Aside from the growths, it messes with the sufferer's motor skills. Collei is lucky in that she has had physical training, but her fine motor skills sometimes play up. When she was diagnosed, many shunned her, dubbing her as being touched by the Deev, tainted by an evil spirit. Her parents cared for her…but they were fooled by a man who claimed to be able to treat her…and that man sold her to a Fatui Harbinger."

Harry frowned. "Fatui Harbinger?"

"The Fatui are nominally diplomats and security personnel who answer to the Tsaritsa of Snezhnaya," Nahida explained. "The Harbingers are the most powerful amongst them. However, even in my imprisonment, I heard dark tales of them, acting as spies and even what you would call terrorists. Tighnari told me more about them earlier this morning, before I met Collei. Collei was used as a test subject by Il Dottore, or the Doctor. Her description of him sounds familiar, but I want to see a picture of him before I make any judgement."

Harry's frown deepened. A mad scientist calling himself the Doctor? He hoped this wouldn't ruin watching Doctor Who for him. "What did he do to you?" he asked Collei gently.

"I…I don't like talking about it," she said. "Only that it was bad."

Harry nodded in understanding. "…I'm sorry."

Collei gave him a smile. "Don't be. You're not the one who did that to me, and there are plenty of good people in the world. A girl in Mondstadt, Amber, helped me understand that. I also held such a hatred for the gods…and while that has mostly gone away, meeting Nahida and learning her story…she couldn't have helped me, given that she was locked away. But I can't understand why the Sages would do such a thing!"

"Initially, it was because I was inexperienced, a blank slate, lacking the wisdom needed for my station, Collei," Nahida said. "I know at least some of the Sages back then were truly worried for my safety. But…a bird cannot learn to fly in a cage. I was lucky that being connected to dreams still allowed me to learn about the world…but it's better to learn by experience."

"You took the words out of my mouth, Lady Nahida," Tighnari said, entering the hut. Dark hair tinged with green fringes framed handsome, vaguely feminine features. Oddly enough, he had fox-like ears and a tail.

Nahida pouted. "I told you that you can call me Nahida, Tighnari."

"Sorry, sorry, but…who can say that they've teased an Archon?" the Forest Watcher asked with a laugh. "But learning has to be done in more ways than simply downloading information via Akasha Terminal. The Akasha is a tool, but one shouldn't become overly reliant on it. Ditto books. Learning through experience should supplement such tools. So, how was your first night of freedom?"

"Freedom is relative," Nahida said. "We all live in a cage of laws of physics and divine will. But even limited freedom compared to where I was before is like a bottle of water offered to someone who has trekked across the desert. Anyway, thank you for giving me refuge, Tighnari, if only for now."

"Nahida, for all that Sumeru underplays your existence in favour of your predecessor's, you are still due respect. Your situation was much like Collei's in some regards. Besides, what Alice told me before she left…she's…eccentric, to say the least, but her word holds quite a bit of weight when she isn't being frivolous. Still, what you told me about Akasha is disturbing. I already knew the Sages used it to control the flow of information and basically enforce a form of classism, but still…I'm glad I only use it when necessary."

Nahida smiled at the fox-eared Forest Watcher. "A very wise perspective. If only the Sages had your viewpoint. Do not misunderstand me, the Akasha harvesting dreams from others can be a useful tool when needed. But dreams and imagination are needed in conjunction with knowledge and facts. A scientist on Earth, Albert Einstein, once said that imagination is more precious than knowledge. I respectfully disagree, but I feel they should be held on more or less equal footing."

Tighnari chuckled warmly. "Debating philosophy with the Dendro Archon…I never thought I'd see the day." His expression became more solemn. "That being said, your absence will have been noted by now. The fact that we haven't received any messages from the Akademiya via the Akasha system or by post to that effect is concerning. True, with your seclusion, covering up your absence is easy enough, as few have access to the Sanctuary of Surasthana, just the Sages and a few scholars and technicians. But you'd think that they'd send people to search for you across Sumeru as soon as they noticed your absence and send messages with a description, even if it didn't have your identity."

Harry frowned as he considered this. "…They disdained her, right? Yet they never let her do her own thing. I'm going to use the Fidelius just to be sure, but I expected more of a response after I kicked the hornet's nest, so to speak."

Nahida nodded. "I can't say for sure…but when Azar was in the Sanctuary of Surasthana a couple of days ago, he said…something about not needing me anymore. I don't know anything more, but I suspect something may have happened recently. Which is concerning. My Gnosis is still running the Akasha system, and I don't intend to deactivate it anytime soon. For now, we should just keep our eyes open, our ears clear, and our mouths shut. Flies might get in them, otherwise."

Collei giggled. "You really are not what I expected when I think of an Archon, Nahida."

"What did you expect from an Archon?"

"…Someone…more serious, less playful, more demanding…and arrogant," Collei said. "Maybe nowhere near as bad as the Sages or Il Dottore, but…if what you said about your link to Harry is true, then I envy him. I wish I had someone like you to talk to when I was going through what I did."

"I'm sorry I couldn't, Collei," Nahida said. "I've appeared to many a child in their dreams. Though I wonder if that may have something to do with your Eleazar." The diminutive deity rubbed her chin. "Whatever the reason, I am sorry I could not talk to you in your hour of need, I really am. I could not have given you a definite hope of a better tomorrow, but even someone to vent to would have helped. Unfortunately, even a goddess of wisdom is not omniscient or omnipotent."

"No, it's fine," Collei said, giving a sad smile. "It's the Fatui I am angry towards, and knowing you were imprisoned now…well, I can't blame you for being unable to help."

Harry looked to Tighnari. "By the way, how are my friends and the Lupin-Tonks family settling in?"

Tighnari smiled. "Pretty well. Hermione talked my ear off with all sorts of questions, and I rarely have someone agree so quickly to attend one of my lectures at Pardis Dhyai. Luna is a bit on the strange side, asking me about the Aranara, of all things. I think she's looking to seek one out. Mr Lupin did warn me about his…condition, but that he's taken precautions. The Tonks woman, the younger one, she's doting on her children, along with her mother. Actually, the kids are excited to meet their Aunty Nahida."

Nahida chuckled. "…After so long…it's actually novel to meet people who want to meet me. My birthday is coming soon, in a few weeks' time. What a wonderful early present, to be free, and to be able to speak with people other than the Sages, or within dreams."

Her verdant eyes glistened with tears, but Harry saw the happy smile on her lips. She was happy to be finally free. So he went over and hugged his sister. "It's okay, Nahida. We won't let those bastards get their hands on you ever again."

"…Harry, I know I'm 500 years old, but please mind the swearing, in front of other people if nothing else," Nahida chided him gently.

"Actually…I've said worse, to myself if nothing else," Collei said quietly, blushing in embarrassment. "During the worst parts of my life, at least. And given what those Sages did to Nahida, that's pretty tame. If 'monster' was a swear word, it'd apply to them many times over. Or Il Dottore." She shuddered.

The heavy atmosphere was broken when Hermione poked her head in through the door. "Good morning, everyone. Umm, Harry, Nahida? I was going to speak with you about…well, everything, but something's just come up. Or rather, someone. I think it's who Alice has sent, she gave the right phrase."

"She?" Tighnari asked.

"Yeah, I'm right here, you know," drawled a voice, and a young woman sauntered in past Hermione. And what a woman. Her lithe, athletic body was darkly-tanned, clad in leather and black and red cloth that still exposed a good proportion of that body. A massive broadsword was on her back. Harry thought that, like Tighnari, she had animal ears on her head, like large cat ears, but it was simply the way her dark hair (changing to blonde at the tips) was styled. Pale blue eyes looked at them appraisingly.

She folded her arms under her bust, and looked at them. "So…I solemnly swear I am up to no good. Is that enough for you before I introduce myself? Or does the Dendro Archon know who I am?"

"I know you must be an Eremite mercenary, but that's rather too obvious a conclusion," Nahida said, her eyes looking the woman up and down. "Your clothing and accessories are expensive, but you clearly see action regardless, so you must be a very successful one, or prudent with your Mora, or both. Only a few Eremite mercenaries do well in bodyguarding, which is what Alice sent you to act as towards us. You also have a Pyro Vision," she nodded to the red jewel dangling from the woman's belt, similar to the green jewels that Nahida herself, Tighnari and Collei possessed. Nahida then snapped her fingers. "I think I have it. I believe I have heard of you by reputation. You're the Flame-Mane, Dehya."

The thus-named Dehya chuckled. "So even the Dendro Archon has heard of my reputation? Well, I must say, you're good. Yeah, I am Dehya. And it seems that I'll be your bodyguard for the next little while…"

CHAPTER 2 ANNOTATIONS:

Nahida's done some bonding with Collei and Tighnari…and what's this? Dehya's now involved? But what of the Sabzeruz Festival and Dunyarzad? Don't worry, that will be dealt with.

I was, in the original version of the story, going with Lisa as the pairing. But it does mean jumping through some hoops to justify her leaving her library in Mondstadt, and there's the whole shortened lifespan issue. Dehya also needs some hoops to jump through, given the whole Dunyarzad thing, but I think I've figured it out.

No numbered annotations this time.