Genshin Impact: Mondstadt Alter

Special Chapter 1.2:

Turning Point

The tranquility of the city prevailed as people engaged in various activities—some having fun, while others were already resting. The fresh, cool night air drifted through the city, bathed by the bright moonlight and the street lamps along the side streets. Everyone was preoccupied with their affairs and barely noticed their surroundings, especially with a party taking place in one part of the city.

However, the peace was abruptly shattered by an explosion in the middle of the city, and the sound it produced was far louder than expected. For a moment, everyone was stunned and confused by what had occurred, but soon after, like fish being fed in a pond, nearly everyone was drawn to the source of the noise.

One after another, people started flocking around a small house. Everyone saw the same thing: the house was beyond saving, ruined to the point where its contents were visible from the outside, with less than a quarter of the structure still standing. Everyone there was in awe at the sight, perplexed as to what or who had caused it.

"Please make a way!" A man in uniform shouted behind the crowd.

Fernand, the Reconnaissance Captain, brought some of his men along to investigate the scene. Those people quickly moved to the side to give the official knights that had come to some space a closer look. After a quick scan and thinking, Fernand gave out his order.

"Felix, secure the area so that civilians won't get close and see if there are any casualties! Ethan, notify the HQ and tell the Grand Master about the incident! Lukas, find Captain Hao and inform him to seek anyone or anything suspicious around the city! Move out!"

"Yes, sir!"

Meanwhile, a few minutes ago on the other side of the city, where Angel's Share is located.

Mostly everyone was drinking and cheering as they enjoyed the feast without a care in the world for tonight. The boisterous atmosphere was deafening, but the bar has always been like this every night, especially when there's an occasion, so nobody is bothered by it.

Patiently waiting for their turns, Frederica and her gathering spent their time chatting and eating.

"With only a couple of days of preparation, this party sure has turned out great, don't you think, sir?" The blonde lady inquired as she held her beverage in her hand.

"Yeah, for sure." The Outrider Captain took a big gulp before adding, "But, did it really take only a few days to set up all of this? Why the haste?"

She shakes her head, "I don't know the details, either. I wouldn't have been aware of this had Jean not told me."

"Hmm, now that I think about it, I also got my invitation just yesterday." He pointed out as he held his chin, "Yet, it somehow managed to garner this many guests despite the abruptness."

Frederica let out a small chuckle, "Well, I'm sure this much is nothing for a well-connected man like Master Crepus who loves his sons."

"Haha, I suppose you're not wrong."

Suddenly, a small tremor washed over everyone followed by flickering lights. The occurrences happened in a brief moment and got the attention of those who were still sober, while the drunks remained oblivious.

"What was that? An earthquake?" Amber wondered.

"... I don't think so. It was too brief for an earthquake." Jean responded.

Frederica and Hao were silently wondering the same thing, before looking at each other.

"You heard that?"

The Alder Knight nodded, "Yeah, but it clashed with the uproar here. That can't be what I think it is, right?"

Hao didn't answer immediately, "I'll go out and check." He said as he rose from his seat.

"Oh, then I guess I will come along."

The girls looked at them as Jean questioned, looking a bit concerned, "Is there a problem?"

"Let's hope not. We're just going to see what it was." The Alder Knight reassured the kids and added, "You two wait here. We'll be right back."

The girls obediently nodded to her before both knights left them and headed to the entrance. Not many noticed them exit the tavern; the Ragnvindr family was among them. As soon as the two left, they saw another member of the knight running towards them.

"Captain Hao!" The man cried as he made his way.

As the one being called, Hao approached and moved his hand to the man's shoulder when the young man bent down to catch his breath.

"Slow down, Lukas. Did something happen?"

Frederica neared as the knight finished his break.

"Ah, Miss Frederica is here too!" The brunet knight noticed her presence almost immediately. "There's a problem! One of the residents' houses was destroyed just now."

Both of them widened their eyes and gasped upon hearing the news.

"Was that the cause of the tremor?" The blonde knight suspected.

"It has to be. When we arrived at the scene, it was already obliterated." Lukas answered before looking at Hao, "Sir, Captain Fernand gave you a task to scan around the city to see if you might find anything regarding this."

Hao nodded as he held his chin, "Right, right. I'll gather my men."

"Where is it? Whose resident was wrecked? How did it happen?" Frederica interrogated him with many questions.

"At the west side of the city, ma'am! As for what happened, we don't know yet, but I believe it belongs to…" He paused to recall his memory, "Friedrich's?"

Silence. The two frowned as the realization kicked in before the Alder Knight spoke under her breath, "You can't be serious…"

"B- but, we quickly searched and found no one was hurt."

"Morgan is inside, so…" The Outrider Captain grumbled.

"Excuse me…" A new voice joined the conversation, the trio turned to the source and saw a red-haired boy.

"Diluc?"

"I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but I heard something happened about Morgan's home."

The adults looked at each other, and Frederica said, "It's not admirable to do that, Diluc."

"I am sorry! I just saw you two exited with a serious expression and I was worried about him, so I decided to follow."

She massaged her temple, "Since you've already heard our conversation, we'll let this slide. Just don't do that again." Diluc nodded, and the blonde lady looked at him, switching to an assuring expression, "Relax, Morgan is fine. He's-"

"No!" The red hair quickly cut her off, "Morgan went home earlier because he felt unwell. I knew something was off since he was fine before, but then he left before I could say anything. So when I heard about what happened, I…" Diluc stopped as he squeezed the gift in his hand.

The Outrider Captain clicked his tongue, "We can't afford to waste more time, then. I'll get my men and see if we can find anything. Lukas, spare some of your team members to assist us."

"Understood!" He took his order before facing Frederica, "Miss Alder Knight, there should be a meeting coming regarding this matter in the HQ."

She solemnly bobbed her head, "... Yeah, I'll be there."

Hao and Lukas went ahead with urgent tasks, while Frederica silently contemplated in place. Diluc looked at her and noticed her troubled expression, so he spoke up.

"Miss Frederica, I'm worried. Are you planning to go to his house?"

She snapped out of her thoughts and took a deep breath, "Don't worry, I'm sure Morgan's fine. Lukas said no sign of him there, but I'll check the scene myself to double-check."

"Can- can I come along?" He nervously asked.

"No, let us handle this, Diluc. I understand that you're concerned, but we can't let people get involved. It's a big problem considering an attack occurred in the middle of the city like this." She calmly explained.

"But-!" Diluc was about to say something when he felt a hand on his shoulder, "Fa- father!?"

Crepus nodded before facing Frederica, "Do what you have to do, Frederica. I'll keep an eye on him."

"I appreciate it." She expressed her gratitude before she left.

The two merely saw her figure disappearing into the distance.

"Father, Morgan is in danger! I can't stand by and do nothing when my friend needs my help!" Diluc protested.

Strangely, Crepus stayed silent, merely clutching his fist and fortunately, it went unnoticed by his son.

"Yeah, but what she said was right. It's better to leave it to the Knights."

The boy didn't know what to say and defy his father, but he knew remaining passive wasn't the right choice.

"Is there nothing I can do to help him? I promised I would help him…" Diluc mumbled.

Hearing that, Crepus bent his knee and put his hands on the boy's shoulders, "Don't blame yourself, son. I understand how you feel, but the Alder Knight made it clear not to get involved and I am inclined to agree with her. Let's hope they bring good news once they finish."

It took some time for Diluc to swallow his words, until finally, he relented as he gritted his teeth.

The blonde woman moved her legs as quickly as she could to reach her destination, while her mind stormed with questions. She had mixed feelings of anger and wonder about the situation, especially since she and the boy had argued and hadn't yet had the opportunity to resolve it. However, she had a hunch that he was intentionally avoiding her, and their encounter in the bar seemed to confirm it.

How and why did this happen?

What did Morgan do this time?

Is it another one of his cunning plans?

The closer she got, the more questions popped into her head, and the only way to answer them was for her to get there.

It took around fifteen minutes for her to arrive there, and Frederica started seeing people had already swarmed around. What she saw made her mouth agape. The home was intact the last time she saw it, right now, it is demolished.

Her thoughts were having a hard time believing something like this happened without a plan, considering what had happened in the past incidents. Judging by its condition alone, it required a lot of firepower to destroy it in a single blast.

The Alder Knight collected herself as she rushed into the front of the crowd to get a better look. Other members of the knight came to her view as they stood guard to prevent people from getting closer.

"How's the situation?" She quickly questioned.

"We haven't got much progress, ma'am. Looking at the destruction and the aftermath, it's a miracle there's no one is injured." A female knight answered.

"... I see." Frederica mused, sensing something was not right. "Any clue about what the cause was?"

"Unfortunately, nothing yet. But…" She paused before looking back to the broken house, "Something weird is in there."

The blonde-haired tilted her head in confusion, "Weird?"

"Um, I'm not sure what it is, so maybe it's better to look at it yourself, ma'am. Captain Fernand and the others are in there investigating the house."

Frederica nodded and advanced into the building, only to be greeted by a strange sight at the center when she stepped inside. A large, round structure was covered and filled with materials and debris from the building. The size could've been noticed by her had her mind wasn't too preoccupied with anxiety. Despite the oddity, she continued to approach it.

"Frederica? I thought you were at the HQ." Fernand noticed her arrival, "Why are you here?"

"No, I was at Angel's Share when I heard a rumble in the distance, and Lukas notified me and Captain Hao, so I came to investigate. Did you find anything?"

The Reconnaissance Captain looked at the ground beneath him, "Besides this weird boulder, there seemed to be a struggle here. I'd like to figure out whose blood this belongs to, but there's no sign of anyone here. I hope the other makes better progress."

"This is Friedrich's settlement, right? Do you know where the kid is?" He continued.

"Morgan was there as well, but apparently, he returned home earlier."

The Captain hummed as he crossed his arms, "Hmm, I'm pretty sure he's not here. I wonder where he went."

Frederica remained silent as she wondered the same thing. The two stared at the large object as they spent some time pondering until one of them broke the ice.

"Do you think he has anything to do with this?"

"... At this point, it's hard to think he has no involvement in this, but why would he destroy his own home?" She scratched her head.

"What makes you say Morgan blew it up?"

"I didn't mean it that way. I was more asking what caused this building to get blasted rather than blaming him. It's not like he could do this, anyway."

"Could it be he had explosives with him?"

She looked at him, "Very much unlikely. The Sisters from the Church have been monitoring Morgan ever since he lived alone, and they should notify the Seneschal if something was amiss. Besides, there's no way he could get his hand on something like that."

He sighed heavily, "I suppose you're right. Even if some explosives were used, the floor's condition seemed to say otherwise."

"Good grief… It's like one trouble after another with him." Fernand commented in annoyance while she didn't say anything to protest his words.

All of a sudden, a commotion happened on the outside and received their attention. Only when the two were about to see what it was, a person casually sauntered their way inside, followed by another.

"Ma'am, please! This area is off-limit!" The female knight who was speaking with Frederica pleaded to the person.

"Ow~ Come on~ Don't be so uptight. Let me sneak on this one, 'kay?"

"That is-"

"Oh, if it isn't Ms. Frederica and Mr. Fernand! Hi there!" The person greeted them in glee, contrast with the atmosphere.

"Ms. Alice, please refrain from entering the scene. We are in the middle of an investigation here." Fernand warned as he tried to be stern.

"I know, I know. That's why I am here!"

The Alder Knight is confused by her words, "What do you mean?"

Alice giggled at that and made her way through the house, looking around, while Frederica and Fernand looked at each other in puzzlement at her actions. To avoid anything like this happening again, the Reconnaissance Captain sent his underling before him to disperse the people outside, especially since it was already very late.

When everyone had gone, Alice returned to the two with a smile on her face. Fernand took that as a hint she might find something that he had overlooked or missed.

"So, what do you have for us?"

She looked back at him innocently, "I have nothing on me."

"What?"

"Please be serious, Ms. Alice. The situation is dire." Frederica said, not tolerating her immature manner.

And Alice perceived it immediately, "Hehe, okay, I understand. It seems like Morgan has started to get on your nerves." She whispered the last sentence.

"This thing…" Alice gently caressed the big object in the room, "It's emitting a rich elemental energy."

"Are you saying elemental energy was the cause of it or does it simply radiate it?"

"The former, most likely. In normal circumstances, something like these don't exude elemental energy, not at this rate, at least."

"Are you sure?" Fernand asked for confirmation.

"I mean, it's up to you to doubt my words, but I'm sure that if you asked anyone who knows their stuff in this field, they would say the same thing."

He didn't reply and simply nodded. On the other hand, Frederica posed another question.

"What elemental power are you referring to? Is it anemo?"

Alice smirked, "Wow, you are spot on! That's right, it happens to be aligned with Morgan's vision. Although, I cannot say for sure whether he was the one who did this."

"Do you think someone with a little experience using a vision capable of pulling something like this?" The Reconnaissance Captain joined the discussion once again.

"Well, all I can say is that's not impossible. There are cases where you can be a decent vision bearer upon obtaining it, and there are also others where you can be completely clueless about how to use it." She enlightened them.

"I see…"

When the Knights are deep in their thoughts, Alice's gaze wanders around once again and stops under the big crumpled debris. She sensed a faint trace of magic below it. Usually, Alice is keen on sensing something like this, so she was surprised she didn't catch that sooner, only to realize it later on.

"Hey, is it alright if I move this a bit?" She pointed at the large round object.

"Uh, why do you want to do that?"

"Just to see if there is anything under it."

"I'm not sure about-" Fernand got interrupted.

"Let her be. Someone like her rarely makes a mistake, so I am sure she might be onto something." Frederica halted, "Please go ahead, Ms. Alice."

"I'm flattered that you trust my judgment." She smiled, "Don't mind if I do."

"Wait, let me get my men to do that."

"Not necessary." She said as she raised her hand and jerked her fingers at it, then, the large ball rolled away from her. As Alice suspected, something was concealed beneath it, and it now revealed itself.

"This is it? A hole?"

The blonde knight kneeled to take a better look, "It seems like someone or something just plunged through the floor. Maybe whoever got hurt, was also because of this?"

"Perhaps? It looks like the size of an adult arm to me. If that was the case, then it pretty much confirmed my suspicion of the fight. The question is, who are they? One of them seemed to be an adult, and I suspect the other might be Morgan."

"If that is true, then where did they go? No way they just disappeared out of thin air."

"You're right. There has to be someone who witnesses something."

While the knights were discussing and speculating on what was going on, Alice taciturnly pondered the nature of the magic she detected on the ground. As an expert, she quickly identified the magic that was cast. With the last clue she got, the Crimson Mage finally understood what went fold in this place.

"I suppose there's no need for me to involve myself any further than this." Alice spoke up after a while, "I wish you guys luck!"

Fernand hummed, "Leaving so soon, Ms. Alice?"

"Yup, I might inconvenience you doing your investigation if I linger any longer."

"That's not true. You've been a great help, ma'am! Should I ask my subordinate to walk you home?"

"How nice of you! But, allow me to refuse." She politely declined before waving her hand, "Good night, you two!"

"Please be careful on your way back." Frederica bobbed her head, and Fernand did the same.

She beamed before heading to the entrance, only to stop at the doorstep and turn around for the last time.

"Right, let me say one last thing before I leave." She lifted her arm with the index finger pointing upward, "It's possible whoever was here vanished without any witnesses."

Those two were taken aback by that statement, and Frederica raised a question, "But how?"

"I know I said that, but that doesn't mean it didn't leave any traces behind. Do you get where I am going?"

The head of the Reconnaissance Company scanned the house right away, but no matter how hard he tried, there was a limit to what the naked eye could perceive. Seeing what her coworker doing was pointless, the Alder Knight eyed the mage.

"I appreciate it if you could speak to the point, instead of beating the bush."

"Why rush? At this point, it is meaningless to pursue them." Alice chose to tease her, for some reason.

"What? We haven't even tried to seek them, and yet, you said it's already too late?"

Her shoulders lowered, "Honestly, it's such a simple plan, but it proved to be working smoothly. When you are alone, no matter how cautious you are, it only matters of time they catch you off guard, especially when multiple persons are after you. I now understand why he was so paranoid and distrustful."

"..."

Fernand looked back and forth between the two, "Um, sorry, but I feel a little lost here. Care to elaborate before you go, Ms. Alice?"

Still smiling she replied, "As I previously said, they've gone without leaving any witnesses behind because getting away from here with a conventional method would draw attention, after all. But, it would be a different story if a certain magic was used."

"What magic?"

Frederica held her chin before grasping the answer, "Teleportation!"

"Bingo~" She snapped her finger, "Utilizing that allows one or multiple persons to flee in a blink without anyone knowing and without much effort. And, before you ask again, I have no clue where it leads."

None of them said anything briefly.

Fernand cursed, "Damn it! We have no choice, but to expand our search!"

He quickly walked outside after Alice stepped aside, but he didn't forget to express his gratitude to her. Meanwhile, both women remained inside the building. The mage carefully examined the knight before her, while Frederica recovered with a complex expression on her face.

"One last question, Ms. Alice."

"Sure. What is it?"

"Do you think Morgan did this?"

She crossed her arms and took a minute to answer, "Are you asking about the blown-up building, the escape, or the entire event?"

The knight deeply breathed, "I simply want to hear your thoughts."

Alice chuckled as she covered her mouth, "Until we are sure he was involved in this, don't you think it's better to leave him out of this?"

"I know, and it's not like I fault him, either. However, I'm certain you understand that it is hardly a coincidence considering these past months and these current incidents."

"... Fair point. But, I am not part of the knight, you know? How does my opinion affect anything?"

The blonde knight laughed dryly, "Please, don't diminish yourself like that. Even if you aren't, everyone acknowledges your skill and critical thinking. Besides, I haven't talked to him since an assassin came for him."

"You're worried about him? Here I thought you were holding a grudge against him."

"... A grudge is a strong word, Ms. Alice. He's just a kid with trauma, so I can't really blame him for anything. I don't deny I'm still angry with him, but…" She paused, "All of his cases got me curious. It's like whoever is behind this genuinely wants him to be gone for whatever reason, and as a Knight, I have to uphold my duty to protect the citizens."

"Well said, but I rather not say anything when I'm not sure about something."

Frederica knew Alice was hiding something, but she didn't know how to make her talk.

"However, Morgan did say he trusts you," The mage approached the knight as she took out something, "I suppose he won't mind if I give you this."

She hesitated to take it, "What's this?"

"I need to head back soon, so you can open it later. But can you keep it from anyone you got it from me?" She winked.

"But why?"

"Because the fewer know, the better."

"Huh?"

Alice merely turned her back and headed outside as she waved her hand to Frederica.

The Alder Knight froze in place in confusion, and when she snapped back to reality, the Mage had already disappeared. Staring at the envelope in her hand, she slowly took out the contents as it wasn't sealed, only to be a piece of paper in it. And when she unfolded and read it, she gasped.

On her way, Alice murmured to the starry night, "Is this your chosen path? It only piqued my interest even more."

A/N: Other than the fact some of the characters might feel OOC, I don't have much to say, and I hope I did well enough in portraying their personalities. Also, writing this chapter made me realize that I feel more comfortable doing it in this format. Do share your thoughts!

Thank you for reading, and carry on!