I expected to enter Vision Studies in the middle of a lesson, dreading the interruption and looks from other students I might draw. However, the room was devoid of students when I opened the door. Oddly enough, students' backpacks and notebooks were still scattered around the room.

Vision Studies Level One - Meet in the arena for interactive practice with elemental reactions.

Professor Minci's message was displayed on the front board in her elegant script. With a sigh, I turned around and quickly left the room. I already missed a chunk of class time, and I didn't want to fall behind the rest.

On my way to the arena behind the Vision Studies building, I thought of what today's lesson might entail. So far, we'd only learned about elements and how to utilize a Vision via textbook references, so my lack of a Vision hadn't affected participation in the class. The real test began now.

I left through a side exit door and rounded the building to find the rest of my classmates in the wide, open arena. Students were scattered and spaced out in their assigned pairs, fighting slimes.

A deep groove in the ground was filled with a puddle of water where Hydro slimes were throwing themselves at two students—Amber and Rosaria. In lecture, Rosaria always looked so dull, as if she wished she were anywhere else. But watching her come alive in a fight, even against small Hydro slimes, was quite exciting.

She had her polearm poised before striking down. "You can't run!"

After freezing the slime, she threw an arm out at Amber to signal their next attack. "Go, go, Baron Bunny!" Amber promptly tossed her Baron Bunny doll at the frozen Hydro slime.

Baron Bunny spent a moment doing dance moves before exploding in a blast of Pyro. Although, Rosaria's Cryo attack wore off before Baron Bunny exploded, leaving the Hydro slime with vaporized damage, but still alive.

"Amber," Rosaria snapped. "How many times have I told you that your little doll thing takes too long to activate?"

Amber scratched the back of her head sheepishly. "It did do some damage, though!"

"It would have done more damage if it exploded while the slime was still frozen. Next time, shoot Pyro arrows while we wait for your skill to detonate."

"Lumine," Professor Minci cooed, drawing my attention from the pair that had gone back to coordinating their attacks.

I turned to find her sitting far from the arena and closer to the main building. She was surrounded by lush trees giving shade, sipping tea at a garden table. I moved away from the arena and walked to her, prepared to explain myself.

"How wonderful for you to join us." She smiled demurely. "Thoma informed me of your situation, and I'm glad you were able to get those injuries healed up before the end of class."

"Thank you," I said. "What have I missed?"

"Just a few explanations that wouldn't do you much good anyway. The Vision holders have been instructed to pick up their preferred weapon and channel their Vision to wield elemental energy. I gathered these cuties for your classmates to test elemental reactions."

"By cuties, do you mean…slimes?" I watched as a pair of students were chasing down a group of Geo slimes.

She sipped her tea. "Of course, slimes are beings of pure elemental energy. You may find your partner and…take notes on what you observe. There's not much else you can do during our hands-on lessons."

"What if he needs help?" I scanned the students, looking for Thoma. "Surely there must be some way I can…"

"I'm sorry, but no matter how hard you work in this class, some things simply cannot be done without a Vision. This is one of them."

So far, I've been able to manage and do quite well in my other classes without the need for a Vision. History and Horticulture were simple enough. Sure, I had to spend extra hours memorizing facts and timelines, but it was something I could do with dedication. Gliding and Physical Combat required agility, strength, talent, and skill—all attributes that aren't easily acquired but attributes that I've been able to grow with my own ambitions.

Choosing to enroll in Vision Studies, I knew that it would be impossible for me to trigger superconduct, or inflict a vaporized reaction on my own. I knew that I would face setbacks and that those setbacks didn't define my strength. But, watching the rest of my classmates attacking slimes in front of me…I didn't expect to feel so left out.

Taking a deep breath, I shrugged off the weight of disappointment and shook away the mental fog threatening to darken my mood. I am here now, and I will do the best I can with what I have.

Searching the arena once more, I found Thoma pacing around one section with particularly tall grass. He had a polearm in one hand, and his attention was focused intently on the ground. I watched as he suddenly sprung into action, erecting a shield that surrounded him and lighting the grass on fire.

Small, leafy Dendro slimes popped out of the ground and began to bobble around erratically. Thoma used his polearm to strike them down, his shield preventing any damage to himself from the circle of burning grass.

I walked to the edge of the area where the grass deadened and flames no longer burned. I was intent on watching Thoma fight and seeing how quickly the Dendro slimes took damage, but his head turned in my direction as soon as I approached.

"You're here!" He jogged over to me with a big smile, and the slimes retreated back underground to ward off the flames. "Barbara healed you up faster than I thought. Are you feeling better? You look a lot better."

"Thanks. Barbara was great. Did you know she's an idol on the side? That's pretty impressive for—wait. Sorry, I don't want to talk about something off-topic and detract you from class. You can get back to burning those slimes. I'll just…" I rummaged around in my bag and pulled out my notebook. "Take notes."

"Careful not to get those pages burnt. You should step further away from the tallgrass. Pyro can cause the environment to get very dangerous very fast. I wouldn't want you to take a second trip to the infirmary in one day."

I stepped back into an area that was more dirt than grass.

Thoma nodded, satisfied with where I stood, before looking at me with a hint of worry in his eyes. "Will you be alright?"

"Fully healed," I reminded.

"Not that. I'm talking about today's exercise. I know how much being an active member in class means to you."

"It's fine. I can learn a lot from taking notes, just like how I learned so much by taking the same notes all last week. These new notes will be even more…informational."

"Alright, if you say so. I did see a bucket for water in case you wanted to douse the flames or even toss water on the burning slimes for some vaporize reactions. But if you're so keen on notetaking, go for it."

"A bucket of water, you say?" I nonchalantly darted my eyes around, looking for the bucket in question. "I mean, if it'll be of help then I guess I can sacrifice my notetaking time."

Thoma laughed. "I thought you might say so. It's over by the Hydro slime pool—careful not to get wet."

I hurried over to the Hydro slimes that Rosaria was still mercilessly attacking with her polearm, and I spotted an empty wooden bucket sitting by the water's edge. Quickly, I picked it up and dipped it under the water's surface. Once it was full, I walked back carefully as to not spill any water.

My slow return to Thoma and the Dendro slimes was nearly thwarted as a purple blur darted at me. I managed to swivel at the last second without dropping the bucket, but some water sloshed out and landed on the blob. A bolt of electricity arced up from the blob to the bucket of water—zapping my hands and causing me to drop the bucket.

An Electro slime.

"Sorry!" Bennett came running at me, with Chongyun following close behind. "That one got away from us. I'll take care of it. Let's light it up!"

Bennett's sword alighted with Pyro as he charged his skill, aimed at the Electro slime. He rocketed forward and hit the enemy, but then he promptly exploded backward and landed with a tumble.

"This is the fifth time." Chongyun sighed loudly. "My partner appears to be plagued with evil spirits that have cursed him with unfortunate luck. It is the most I can do to put out his unruly flames with my spirit blade."

I watched as Chongyun ran after Bennett and the runaway Electro slime before turning back to refill the now-empty bucket. This time, I made sure the coast was clear before charting my course back to Thoma. He kept a safe distance from the Dendro slimes, perking up at my return.

"Oh, good! You found the bucket. Ready to take on these slimes?"

I nodded and readied my bucket, feeling only a little bit ridiculous as the rest of my classmates utilized their Vision with an actual weapon. Whatever. If a bucket can get the job done, then a bucket wielder I will be.

Thoma walked back into the tallgrass stealthily with me close at his heel. After spotting the leafy top of one Dendro slime, we shared a nod before he went on the offense, springing his shield up and igniting the environment around him. The Dendro slime was quick to pop up and escape the inferno, but I was waiting for it.

I gripped my bucket securely before sloshing a good amount of water on the Dendro slime, dousing the flame with a vaporize reaction. A great billow of steam wafted up and the weakened Dendro slime began to flee.

Thoma followed and used his skill again. "Don't get too close!"

This time, my bucket and I weren't necessary as the Dendro slime was at its last leg, perishing in the flames. I used some water anyway, splashing the area to prevent the fire from getting out of control.

"Nice work." Thoma smiled. "I think you should start using a bucket during Physical Combat. Who knew it could be such an effective weapon? We can give you a fighter name. How about…Bucket Banisher?"

I laughed. "How about we get back to the slimes? Your shield looks pretty impressive."

"I like to focus on protection. We're working on our elemental skills for today, so I've been utilizing my shield."

We went back into the tallgrass to snuff out more Dendro slimes. It got frustrating when they blended in so well with the natural earth, but Thoma would eventually force them out with his Pyro. I had a couple of close calls trying to douse unruly flames while also vaporizing the slimes, but he always had my back.

Soon, the weight of my bucket lightened, and I signaled to Thoma that a refill was in order. He was distracted fighting off a large Dendro slime, so I quickly decided to grab more water to help out.

I didn't realize I had followers.

A group of small Dendro slimes—on fire—came running at me. I could only assume they were trying to flee from Thoma's attack, as they weren't going after me in particular, but in the direction of the Hydro slime pool.

Still, the Dendro slimes were barreling at me in blazing glory, and I had only the bucket to stave them off. I was able to knock back a few before the bucket—the wooden bucket—also caught fire, and I was forced to abandon my trusty weapon.

With their leafy tops burned off, the Dendro slimes stopped panicking and turned to face me. I sensed something sinister coming off them as if they wanted vengeance for their lost carrot tops. The grass around me was all on fire, the Dendro slimes spread it in their haste. Empty-handed and with nowhere to turn, I began to sweat.

I threw a fist at the first Dendro that tried me, launching it back into the flames. Two more jumped at me, but I kicked them with my fully healed leg.

I hoped that Thoma, Professor Minci, or anyone would catch sight of the situation, but they were either busy with their own practice or didn't think a Visionless student would dare walk into a field of tallgrass alight with Pyro.

The flames should die down any moment now. I wiped at my brow. Except, these slimes were persistent, and a ball of dread grew in my stomach as I watched them form a unified group to attack me head-on.

My heartbeat thumped in my ears, louder than the roaring fire around me, and I felt something in my chest flutter. A sense of…lightness filled my body, and I recognized it. It was mostly new but somehow still familiar. My limbs moved swiftly as if air hollowed out my bones. A breeze picked up, rustling through my hair, yet no wind blew at the flames.

It was just like the Anemo that cushioned my fall in Beginner's Gliding. How could that be? Venti wasn't here, nor was there anyone in this class with that level of Anemo capability. Where did this power come from?

The familiar glow of Anemo shone in the sights of my vision, but when I turned to find its source, there was no one there. It was just me, and the origin of the glow…the Anemo power was coming from…my hand.

It shone with a bright, brilliant teal.

Before I could fully grasp the situation and allow myself to freak out over the Anemo currently coursing through my hand, I had to act against the Dendro slimes that were closing in on me.

I held my Anemo-infused hand out in front of my body and watched as Anemo began to wrap itself in a ball in front of me, blades of wind whipping about. The Dendro slimes were slowly pulled inward towards the whirling vortex at my fingertips, and I gasped as their Pyro mingled with the Anemo in a powerful reaction.

So this is what swirl looked—felt like. The teal wisps of Anemo quickly blended into a fiery red, cutting and burning away at the Dendro slimes until they were nothing but ash in the wind. Absentmindedly, I worried that the swirling of Pyro might have resulted in an even bigger fire, but luckily, there was not enough living grass in the area for it to catch.

With the Dendro slimes vanquished, it was just me left standing in a field of burnt grass.

I looked down at my hand in awe. The glowing Anemo faded away, but I could feel the remnant power beneath the surface of my skin, a tumultuous ball of pure elemental energy. The lightness that came with using Anemo disappeared, leaving my limbs feeling heavier than they were before, and the weight of exhaustion settled in.

Glancing around to see if anyone else noticed my miraculous feat, my suspicions from earlier were confirmed. Nobody saw a thing—they were all busy with their own slimes. What felt like a painstakingly long, dire situation to me must have spanned only a brief moment in real time.

My mind was frozen in shock. With just a bare hand, I controlled an element. Me.

No. My breath hitched at the sudden realization of what this development meant. I've been granted a Vision. An Anemo Vision. After all this time…

Quickly, I began to search my body and patted around my school uniform, looking for the small amulet that was my connection to Anemo. There was nothing at my waist. My hands came up empty toward my back. Only flowers decorated my hair. Even the gaps in my shoes contained no such Vision.

I frowned. Where could it be?

"Phew!" Thoma bounded towards me. "You should have seen that large Dendro slime. Those guys can sure put up a fight…Lumine? Did you lose something?"

I blinked out of my mental stupor. "Oh, um, I was looking for a…"

"What happened to your bucket?" Thoma spun around in search of the late wooden bucket. "Can't conquer those Dendro slimes without it."

Or so he would think.

"Thoma, I have a question for you."

"Sure, I can answer anything you have to ask," he paused. "Assuming I know the answer, of course. If not, I'll do my best."

"When you got first got your Vision, what was it like?"

"When I first got my Vision?" Thoma fingered the Vision at his waist thoughtfully. "Well, it's a bit of a long story. You know how I serve under the Kamisato Clan in Inazuma?"

Thoma and I had spent hours and hours after school in the library to study for the Vision Studies quiz, but sometimes we got distracted and talked about other things. I had told him all about Madame Ping and living in Liyue, and he'd mentioned working for the Yashiro Commission in Inazuma. Honestly, I couldn't fully grasp Inazuman politics or what it entailed to work for the Kamisato Clan.

Thoma's been with them for a while, and he looked up to the Kamisatos—Ayaka and Ayato. I've seen Ayaka around the Academy in the hallway, and he always spoke highly of her.

"When Inazuman turmoils arose, I was given the opportunity to go back to my old life in Mondstadt. I declined. The Kamisato Clan had given me so much. They trusted and believed in me—a foreigner—when no one else would. I couldn't bear to abandon them in their time of need. After I made the decision to stay…" He lifted his Vision. "This popped up right beside me."

"I had no idea," I murmured before remembering why I asked in the first place. "So, it just appeared out of thin air?"

"I guess you could say that."

"Right beside you?"

"As close as you are to me right now. Like magic."

Interesting. I scanned the area around me once more. There was still no Anemo Vision to be found.

"What prompted this question?" he asked. "If this is about you not having a Vision, Lumine, I think you've proven to everyone that you're fully capable without one."

"What if I told you I didn't need a Vision?"

"That's what I'm trying to tell you."

"No," I whispered. "I mean, what if I could control—"

A feminine scream interrupted my words and we both whirled our heads in the direction of its source. Other students around us also stopped their practice to turn their attention to the girl falling over her feet with chattering teeth.

Ellin.

"Please," she gasped as a gang of Cryo slimes closed in on her. "Cici, do something!"

Her partner snickered off to the side. "Aw, but you can't possibly expect me to do everything in this class. That wouldn't be fair."

"I took down notes for the both of us all last week!" Ellin cried as the Cryo slimes chased her in a circle. "You're the one with the Electro power. Now's the time to use it!"

"Don't tell me what to do," Cici hissed. "But if you really want my help, then fine."

A purple lamp materialized in Cici's hand, and I recognized it to be almost identical to the blue one Cicin wielded. And so, I wasn't surprised to see purple cicins zipping from her lamp; though, I was beginning to question where the Twin Mages got their power, if not from a Vision. Was it anything like how I controlled Anemo?

The purple cicins shot Electro bolts at the Cryo slimes, but a few of them missed—hitting Ellin instead.

"Oops," Cici chirped with a coy smile. "You should move out of the way next time."

Ellin squealed and sprinted out of the arena entirely, panting hard. The Cryo slimes were taken care of, and the Electro cicins returned back into their master's lamp.

"See? That wasn't so bad, was it?"

"You…you're detestable!" Ellin spat. "Why are you like this?"

"Why are you in this class?" Cici shot back. "Give it up, Erica. You're nothing but a Visionless nobody."

"You have no Vision! We are the same."

"Oh, but I'm not a burden."

"How can you use Electro without a Vision?" Ellin demanded. "Tell me, and I'll show you! I'll get that power and…and I'll…"

Professor Minci waltzed into the fray. "I hear a lot of fighting and not the kind that I instructed for today. What is the meaning of this? Do I need to teach someone a lesson? Well, that is my job as a professor."

"Professor Minci," Ellin balled her fists. "How can I wield an element without a Vision?"

"You can't."

"Cici can!"

"Cici has been granted a manmade conduit under an agreement that Celestia Academy has with the Snezhnayan Department of Education and Arts. If you observe closely, you will find that it is not Cici who directly controls Electro, but her…what has she named them again?"

"Cicins," Cici provided.

"Right, how creative. Ellin, dear, any grievances you have can be taken up with their student representative, Signora."

"There must be some other way," Ellin pleaded. "Is there no historical record of someone using an element without a Vision? Are Visions really the only way?"

Professor Minci folded her arms. "I cannot say that anything is impossible in this world. The claims you suggest are highly, highly improbable. Visions are stable conduits to nature's purest elements, bestowed upon individuals by higher powers. For an individual to wield an element without a Vision, well, the limitations of such a power are unknown and likely dangerously volatile. They would pose a threat to both themselves and the people around them."

"And if I found a way to do it?" Ellin fiercely pursued the topic.

Professor Minci sighed and said nothing for a moment. "Then, you would be confined for the safety and protection of others. A student like yourself, new to the basics of elemental reactions and simple theories…it would be our duty as instructors at Celestia Academy to keep this hypothetical power restrained. To be secured in extreme captivity while under direct observation is the best measure."

I blanched.

Ellin sputtered. "That…That seems a bit extreme."

Indeed.

"It would be necessary. If that is all, then the rest of you should finish rounding up the rest of your cuties. Once the last of them are put away, you may leave."

By put away she meant put to death, but nobody minded as the slime population was incessantly on the rise. I watched as students went back to finishing off their slimes, but I wasn't really seeing anything. My thoughts were elsewhere.

You would be confined.

My palms became clammy as I considered the situation I was in. As far as I could tell, it was me who controlled Anemo. And as far as I could tell, I didn't have a Vision. Based on these glaringly obvious facts, I could be facing confinement if word ever got out about what I could do. No, that wouldn't do. That wouldn't do at all.

"Wow," Thoma breathed. "That sure was something. So, what were you about to tell me earlier?"

"Huh?"

"You were saying something about a Vision? Or was it not needing one?"

"Oh! Um…what I meant was, you're right about the whole 'being strong just as I am' thing. Thanks."

He smiled. "Are you sure that's all you had to say?"

Thoma's olive eyes stared at me, full of honesty and openness. I trusted Thoma. I really did. And I wanted to tell him about what I just discovered, but…I couldn't—not after what Professor Minci said. Besides, I wasn't entirely sure what was going on with my body and this new Anemo. It could have been a fluke.

It probably wasn't a fluke.

I should do some research in private before opening up to anyone, just to be safe.

"Yup."

"Alright, then." He believed me, and a tiny prick of guilt stabbed into my chest. "I want to go over to see how Ellin is doing. Her partner seems to be very cruel. I don't want her to think any less of herself because of that."

Coming here just one week ago, I remembered Ellin's optimism in persevering no matter what and sticking together to tough it out. I agreed with Thoma, and we decided to approach Ellin together. She was physically fine, for the most part, even after the Cryo slime and Electro cicin ordeal. Emotionally, it took a few words of affirmation and positive coaching before she regained her usual backbone.

Business in the arena wrapped up, and we went back into the building to collect the rest of our belongings. I still had two more classes left in the day and a yawn overcame me just as my stomach grumbled.

I was exhausted.

On my way to history, I looked at my open hand once more. Did Anemo really grace these fingertips? Was I capable of controlling an element all on my own?

With these thoughts, I felt the beginnings of a breeze tickle at my palm. Panicked, I quickly clenched my hand into a fist and let it hang at my side. I'll have to be careful. No one else could know.

My freedom was at stake.