Genshin Impact: Mondstadt Alter

Special Chapter 1.1:

Secret Message

Following a shower and a morning meal, Frederica and her daughter proceeded directly to the training area near the Knight of Favonius headquarters. Frederica was attired in her uniform, while her daughter wore snug white pants and a black long-sleeved shirt beneath a green coat. They strolled casually, taking advantage of the early morning hours when the sun had just begun to ascend.

Upon their arrival, two adolescents extended a warm welcome. These two young lads appeared to have arrived ahead of schedule, yet ample time remained before the agreed-upon meeting.

"Good morning, you two!" The two welcomed them in unison.

"Good morning." Jean politely greeted them in return.

"Morning, boys! Good to see you two doing well today."

"Well, I should say the same."

"Did you wait long?" Jean inquired.

"Nope. We were just here not too long ago."

"Alright, then. Since Master Crepus already permitted you two, why don't you all pick a weapon first?"

The youngsters affirmed their consent with a nod. Each of them selected their designated armament and prepared for the morning practice session while the Alder Knight remained motionless, attentively watching. Shortly after that, they reappeared, each wielding a wooden weapon.

"Hmm, this one is in better shape than the rest, but I feel it could easily snap if I'm not careful." The red-haired commented as he swung the wooden claymore upward and downward.

"Don't put too much force on it, then. You should remember how many of them you've broken already because you swung them too hard."

"I know, I know. I have no intention of breaking the Knight of Favonius's properties, anyway."

The blonde lady put her hand on her hip, "Really now? Perhaps I ought to submit a report to the Logistics team, asking them to assess the status of the training weapon cache and determine whether it requires renewal."

"How about you two? Are they okay?" She appended.

"Yeah, I'll be fine with this. I'm not as barbaric as this guy."

"Hah! That just means I'm stronger than you, wimpy."

The youngster with the eye patch experienced a slight twitch in his eyebrow, yet he chose to stay quiet while wearing a vexed smile. Concurrently, the blonde girl carefully examined her weapon, ensuring it was in optimal condition.

"This one seems to be in pretty good shape, mother." Jean nodded.

"Very well. Before we begin, you all should warm up, yeah?"

The trio started their morning workout while engaging in casual conversation. Frederica couldn't help but smile as she observed her daughter interacting with the sons of the Angel's Share owner. However, before too much time passed, the blonde knight spotted someone approaching them.

"There you are, ma'am. I was looking for you." The person said as he gasped for air.

"What's up?"

"Mrs. Frederica. I apologize if I interrupted, but I'd like to remind you that-"

She waved her hand, "Oh, I remember, I remember. Just give me a moment with my kid, will you? It's not the appointed time just yet."

"Please forgive me, ma'am. I only intended to send his message to you." The knight lowered his head.

"I get it. I'll be going after this." She said before adding, "And tell the Inspector I planned to visit the Church briefly."

"But- He said you are needed ASAP."

She hummed, "What's the hurry? It's not like I purposely staying here to slack off."

"Uh…" The man seemed at a loss for words.

"I won't be long. Relax. I'll be punctual as always."

"I- I understand. I'll deliver your words to him. Please excuse me."

As the knight figure strayed further, the teens, who were busy exercising, were now approaching her with slightly concerned faces. Kaeya was the first one to speak up,

"Is everything alright, ma'am?"

"Hmm? Ah, worry not. We were just talking about work."

"Really? He seemed to be urging you to go with him right away."

"Yeah. Someone asked me to work on something, but nothing THAT urgent." She brushed it off.

The trio glanced at each other before nodding.

"Then I guess you better get going, Mother. I assure you we can handle ourselves, so you don't have to worry and waste your time here."

"I know job calls, but I wish to see how you all are faring with the training. I guess I can do that next time." She whispered the last sentence, "Are you sure?"

"You bet, ma'am!" Diluc said confidently.

"Hahaha, very well, if you say so." The Alder Knight couldn't help but cackle, "I'll leave you guys to it, then." She turned away and waved her hand at them.

"Yes! Good luck with your work today, Mrs. Frederica!"

However, not too far from them, the blonde knight stopped at her track and faced them again with a smirk.

"Diluc. Kaeya."

The lads with that name raise their attention to her.

"No need to hold back with my girl. She's strong." Frederica continued walking.

"Mo- mother!"

Jean helplessly could only watch her mother figure go away despite her protest. Meanwhile, the Ragnvindr brothers were confused, thanks to the lady's sudden encouragement. They are about to start their training together before Jean speaks up once again,

"Please forget what my mother had told you."

"Why? She was right for telling us not to hold back against you. That's the whole point of us practicing together, isn't it? To become stronger." The red-haired convinced her.

"That's… not wrong, but…" Jean lowered her head.

Seeing his friend in doubt, Diluc tries his best to reassure her, "Come on. Be confident. I'm sure what your mother said isn't wrong. You've been training this whole time, just like me."

Kaeya bobbed his head in agreement.

"Thank you, Diluc. I appreciate that." She smiled warmly.

"Good. At least I finally can take a break sparring with this guy." Diluc pointed his thumb at his brother.

"Wow, you just had to say that, didn't you?"

Jean giggled, "Well, let's get started, shall we?"

Frederica arrived in front of the Church, but there was no sign of the person she sought. She planned to wait for him, but time told her otherwise. So she decided to ask one of the sisters, who is currently sweeping the yard.

"Excuse me."

"Oh, Miss Alder Knight! Good morning. Is something the matter?"

"Good morning. Um, I'm looking for Morgan. Do you know where he is?"

The nun tilts her head, "Morgan? He wasn't in his room when someone checked on him. I believe he already went outside like usual."

"Oh…"

The nun noticed her answer wasn't something the knight expected, so she added, "If you're searching for him, maybe asking the entrance guards would give you a lead on the boy's whereabouts."

"I suppose you're right. Thank you."

"Don't mention it. May the anemo archon guide you."

Frederica nodded before jogging her way to the front gate.

"Good morning, you two. Did you guys see Morgan?"

The Alder Knight swiftly approached the city entrance and immediately questioned the guards. Despite anticipating her arrival, the guards were surprised by her sudden presence. Thankfully, they recovered quickly.

"Good morning, ma'am." They greeted her in unison, "Yeah, we did. He left some time ago."

Frederica itched her head, "That's weird." She whispered.

"I see. Alright, you two can go back to your work now. Catch you later."

"Ah, wait a minute, ma'am!" One of them stopped her from leaving.

The guard took out a piece of paper and handed it over to her as he spoke, "Actually, before Morgan departed, he requested us to deliver this to you. We read it beforehand since… well, he didn't say anything about it being a secret or anything, and none of us think it is after giving it a quick review."

After listening to his explanation, Frederica read the paper. The content is anything but a long read, so it doesn't take long for her to finish it. However, even so, she feels something isn't right with what's written there.

"So, the point is he didn't ask for my guardianship today, huh?"

"That's what we concluded as well, ma'am."

"Well, I guess that means he wants his time alone like usual, right? There's nothing to worry about." The other guard added.

Frederica wished to align her viewpoint with theirs, yet something restrained her. Despite rereading it multiple times in hopes of finding any overlooked details, her efforts proved futile. The content closely mirrored Morgan's typical expression, but then again,

Why did he choose to leave her a message instead of expressing it directly?

Morgan consistently ventures outdoors early in the morning, a routine she's well aware of. However, since she volunteered to keep an eye on him, there's a mutual agreement that either she or Morgan will communicate about it regularly. In this instance, she took the initiative to inform him, as usual.

The Alder Knight distinctly recalls informing the boy yesterday that she couldn't accompany him today because of work, and he acknowledged this. There's minimal likelihood that he overlooked it. She's currently seeking him out only because Morgan expressed a desire to speak with her. However, today, he proceeded without making an appearance before her.

"Did he say anything else before he left?" Frederica settled to question them again instead of pondering the situation in her head.

"Uh, to be honest, he didn't say much. Morgan seemed to be in a hurry and asked us to give that paper to you when you're looking for him."

"Yeah, he even said you might not be looking for him and throw it away in case that happens."

"Why would he be in a hurry though?"

The guards can only shake their heads at that question.

The blonde lady took the final look at the paper before releasing a sigh and lowering her shoulders.

She fanned the paper at her face as she said, "Oh well, maybe I'm just overthinking things."

"Thanks, you two. I'll go back and- Hmm?"

Frederica spotted the paper suddenly had a gap from the side as if there was another paper sticking behind the paper. She pinched and separated them slowly, revealing they were stuck together due to some sort of adhesive.

"There- there's another one?!"

Those two approached her to get a closer look. After safely detaching them, she realized the other piece also had something written on it, albeit just a sentence.

'The coast under Stormbearer Points.'

"What does that mean?" The guard asked.

Frederica hesitated briefly before swiftly bolting out of the city without a second thought, distancing herself from the guards.

A/N: A flashback chapter to show a small amount of hints of what's happening. Do tell me if something is amiss or anything so far.

Thank you for reading, and carry on!

Additional Note: Thank you for your support in reading this far along with the reviews/comments, it really means a lot to me! Sad news, this fic will take a break for a while seeing stuff going on IRL right now. I'll be back at the earliest at the start of June and hope things will be sorted out by then. Stay safe, guys!