WhIP

by footfungus

nederlands verhalen over mijn otp

87. Chapter 87

Charisma

Cynettic

Summary:

You lived an innocent life in Mondstadt. As the sister of Albedo and Klee sure you were a bit 'rebellious' and 'chaotic.' But there were many words to describe you.

One of them was the 'Blood Maiden.' A curse.

When a rumor around Teyvat takes it to another level, you are forced to leave your home and travel to Liyue to find a cure. Putting your hometown and friends in danger, you cannot return until you're once again 'normal.' But along your journey you meet others who care for you despite your curse. And hiding the fact that you are the Blood Maiden, you make sure that people recognize you for traits besides your curse.

As such you grow close to the townfolk of Liyue, becoming an enemy of the Harbinger and becoming a famous figure for your help and power. And of course, all the while you are searching for a cure. But as time goes on, despite the gory appearance your curse takes, you question if it has benefits.

Is it a curse or blessing?

Chapter 1: Prologue

Chapter Text

You knew you weren't supposed to be running along the outskirts of Mondstadt on your own. Knew that Albedo would scoop you up in his arms and forbid you from leaving his sight once he found you. Knew how dangerous it was for someone so young to be scurrying through the whispering woods.

Everytime you drew back on this memory, you blamed it on your youth. On your short legs that could never stop running. On the constant need to explore that had you sprinting away from protection.

"Help me."

But there was no way you could've known that this voice would forbid you leaving Mondstadt for the next following years.

"Child, come here."

That you could've known with each step you took that you sealed your fate.

"My hands dear, hold my hands."

That the beautiful crippled woman who leaned on one of the trees was filled with rage. That the air around her radiated of power. Of danger. That when you took her hands, she gave you a portion of this power, of this anger.

"Avenge me," were her words. "This power comes at a price. You must kill him."

Her words slipped past unhearing ears, and you had fallen to your knees, a tremor going through your body.

"You must," her voice had grown hoarse. At the back of your head you swore you had heard Albedo's voice running to you.

"You must kill the anemo archon."

Chapter 2: Chapter 1: "Goodbye Mondstadt"

Summary:

Y/n leaves Mondstadt! The adventure starts :) I definitely shed a couple tears writing this one.

Chapter Text

Cursed.

There were many words to describe you. The townsfolk around Mondstadt would recognize you for your cheerful demeanor. A chaotic youngster, you were known for being fierce despite your small size and age. You brought life to the inhabitants, your smile bright and naive as you pranced around the alleys and trails leading to the cathedral with a ruckus on your trail.

But you were cursed.

Everyone knew it just as well as they knew your stubborn tendencies, despite there being so many different traits to look to, 'cursed' seemed to shout out the loudest. No matter how many connections you made, the fact that blood spilled from your lips on a daily basis was never missed by anyone. Hacking out as the liquid dribbled down your lips, it didn't hurt, you didn't know why everyone made a big deal out of it. Your throat just stung after the fit, body slumping tiredly.

Sometimes it would only last minutes, sometimes until the moment your body gave up. However you always heard the whisper in the wind before it struck, violent words, too deep of concepts for you to understand. There was hatred in the breeze, whipping past your ears before you were back to square one. Sometimes there was so much blood it would coat the street tiles red, sometimes it only dribbled down your chin.

You never gave it much thought.

Because a curse wasn't meant to define you, you were known for so much more. A sister, a resident of Mondstadt, a child, a friend.

"A curse."

Your brother had shielded you from the rumors, not letting Mondstadt's cruel words reach your ears. Albedo, he had taken both you and your sister Klee in when your mother Alice had disappeared. You remembered very little of her, just the way she smiled, the way she looked so carefree. She was like the sun, catching everyone's attention in her brilliance. She was a beautiful woman just as she was chaotic, you supposed that was a trait that was passed on to you and your sister Klee.

Things at home were simple, you'd often be left to take care of Klee who was by now old enough to run around. She was still having trouble with pronunciation which was something you would tease her about almost constantly. Albedo would always be out doing his Favonius work as the head alchemist, despite how much you and Klee whined for him to stay at home. This left you with very few options but to roam around the premises of Mondstadt and cause chaos wherever you could.

Of course you weren't alone in this state of chaos, and despite Klee joining along to watch you cause a ruckus with the townsfolk, it wasn't her that often came to observe. Bennett was by far the one that stuck around to you closest, the two of you got along well since technically, neither of you could get close to the other Mondstadt children. You were too crazy in their eyes, and Bennett somehow always managed to ruin things despite it never being his intention. With that in mind, you two were great friends.

You strived off of his misfortune, and in turn it usually helped fuel your mayhem.

To put it simple, the two of you were a chaotic duo.

Next to your group was a young girl named Fischl, she too was shunned by the other village kids of Mondstadt, so you and Bennett had obviously taken her in. She didn't provide the chaos, and instead would recite strange words and recount the tales of terror both you and Bennett would cause. Always standing a good distance from you and the boy, Mondstadt residents would often draw closer to understand an explanation of the chaos your group had caused. Fischl with her strange words would get them nowhere, but it was funny to see them try.

Lastly, and the newest addition to your group of misfits was another girl called Barbara. Rather it would be more accurate to call her a young lady in comparison to both you and Fischl's behavior. You had no doubt it was under the influence of her older sister Jean that you all had become friends. Jean had authority in Mondstadt, and cared very much about the protection and security she could provide to its residents. It would make sense for her to try to get her sister to try to calm you down, coax you to stop scathing the civilians to such an extent.

Frankly, Barbara's presence didn't change a thing.

In contrast, she added to the ruckus in her own way. You'd often see her curled up in a ball after fruitless attempts at calming the chaos ensued from both you and Bennett. Fischl would have already started with her story, and you'd be able to see the figure of a small girl on the sidelines sobbing something along the lines of, "SisTer JeAn is gOnNa kiLl mE-"

The rebel, the unlucky one, the fantasy weeb, and the crybaby.

Terrible mix, this combination nor the destruction that you caused didn't serve to help clear up the rumors about your curse. In fact, it only intensified the fears and worries of the townsfolk, not that they could say anything to your face though.

It always came back to the fact that you coughed out blood, that was the only thing worthwhile to notice for them. You'd done it often enough around your little friend group, but they knew better to fret about it. Well, with the exception of Barbara who always had a panic attack when seeing the blood dribble down your lips and fall from your chin. She was greatly associated with the church as it was, so she was already practicing much to do with helping and aiding those with injuries. Not that any of her knowledge could help you with your curse.

But alas, you didn't mind it. The curse was simply a part of you, there was much more to know! You reminded the town of Mondstadt this everyday with your chaos, forcing yourself into their lives as someone, not just a curse.

It's an ordinary day in the town of Mondstadt, people bustling around to buy groceries and cook dinner before evening hits. The sun is beginning to descend down to the mountains, leaving it dimmer and dimmer with every hour.

"Ready?"

You scan your reflection on the shiny silver rail leading down to the downtown area. H/c strands slip past and onto your face, brushing past your cheeks despite your efforts in pushing it back behind your ear. A soft sigh escaped from your lips, and you slowly turned to face the girl facing only a few steps away from you.

"Always am," you began, starting down the steps. "Bennett and Fischl are ready too I presume?" It wasn't much of a question, those two were always ready. Today wouldn't be an exception, especially with the type of ruckus you were about to cause today.

The blonde haired girl hopped down a couple steps to match your pace, slowly nodding. "Yes, I guess it's too late to get you all to back out now?"

You chuckled, "Far too late Barbara, far too late. Besides, that's all you've been doing today, trying to get us to stay home. You should know by now that we rarely follow your advice." Your words came out sharper than you intended, but the girl beside you knew you meant it with goodwill. You appreciated her worry, even finding her panic amusing at certain points.

"Of course not..." She grumbled, a pout pulling at her lips.

It had been a couple years since all four of you had formed your group of misfits. Despite having grown up more and supposedly becoming more mature as time passed, your tendencies sure hadn't. You'd grown up, but causing chaos around the city of Mondstadtwas traditional, especially in a way only your group could pull it off.

"Y/n!"

You spotted Bennett and Fischl almost immediately, standing near the fountain as sparkling blue water cascaded down. People brushed by with food in hand, giving your group glares and strange stares as they increased their pace. As much as you'd like to meet their expectations for the evening and cause a little mayhem, that wasn't why you were all here.

"The stars are but hiding beneath the facade of tapestry orange," Fischl remarked in greeting, voice absentminded. "They wait for us to finish this rift before revealing their boundless darkness as it encases us whole."

"Hello to you too Fischl," you murmured, glancing up to see that the sky was beginning to dim. You'd need to hurry this whole ordeal up if you wanted to have the advantage of light. "Now that we are all here, Bennett, did you grab the sticks I asked for?"

"All here!" The boy presented proudly, showing the small slim branches he had collected from the trees near the garden in the back of the cathedral. When he let them down gently however, one of them snapped. Bennett's mouth was gaping, forming a perfect 'O' as he looked back up to meet your gaze. You didn't waver, simply laughing at the unexpected occurrence.

"It's fine," you tried, not wanting the poor boy to start apologizing again for one of his misfortunes. "It's sharp and splintered, perfect for battle."

"A bit too perfect," Barbara harshly whispered behind you. "Someone is gonna get hurt."

Gracefully, the blonde haired girl with two pigtails reached to grab one of the sticks, twirling it in her fingers before setting it down to the ground with thud. One end nestled in her grip, the other planted to the ground like a staff. "Ignorance calls for bad omen, judgment shall merely prowl on its path to fight the evil wickedness rooting from their souls."

You eyed Fischl's stick, hand to your chin as you whispered. "Cool, I wanna learn that. How'd you spin it around like that Fischl? Cmon- that'll definitely intimidate them!"

"Condemning the guilty is no easy task, shackling sin and baring hold with such fortitude is not to be underestimated. Practice is due, I, Fischl the Prinzessin der Verurteilung will beseech this counsel to yours truly if the time may come."

Bennett grabbed his own stick, careful not to tap it against the ground in fear that it too would break. "She was just practicing it now," he stated without looking Fischl in the eyes. "You shoulda seen her the first couple times."

It wasn't unexpected, you grabbed the splintered stick on the ground, casting the pigtailed girl only one look before giggling. Her face was flushed red, sputtering words of defense to Bennett's accusation. You handed a stick to Barbara despite her protests against fighting. "So you can defend yourself if anything happens," you persisted, forcing the stick into her arms. "Not that I doubt you'll go running to Jean before that even becomes a possibility."

Flushing red just like Fischl, she looked away. Barbara wouldn't have much use in a fight like this, although it was likely her shrill scream would startle the opponent enough to make them hesitate. But it was nice to keep her around, especially if things went too far, someone would have to alert the adults.

"Let's go."

You led the four of you as you descended down the steps to the back gate. As expected, it was empty, too late for Herta to be organizing anyone around to help Mondstadt's residents or help with bounties. The guards at the gates were gone, only the noise of the noisy drunks from the tavern heard from here.

A group of kids your age stood on the edge close to the gate, a fair number of them. Definitely more than you four that's for sure, with wooden swords probably stolen from their parents sheds, pointy tips against our wooden branches found in the garden.

This battle left you four at such a disadvantage, yet it only fuelled the excitement pushing your forwards.

The children huddled close to the gate were part of a different group compared to yours. Mondstadt children, or so you liked to call them. It was a big group filled with almost all of the younger ones from Mondstadt. Varied in age, but all relatively the same. You four were probably the only ones who didn't quite fit in with them, the outcasts, the misfits.

You didn't mind it compared to their prissy mindsets, they were good children no doubt, but the adults had whispered stuff about your group. Bad things, malicious things. This had formed some sort of superiority complex from their end, to think they were better than you all just cause you couldn't be part of their group.

Barbara's grip on the stick tightened.

So did yours, as did Bennett's. Fischl looked calm as ever, not letting the tension break past her facade. They took a step forward, you did as well. If they were trying to scare you with intimidation, it wasn't working. On cue, Fischl spun her stick around in her hand like she had done previously, slamming one end against the ground. You could see some of the kids in the back of their group shiver, none of them backing down just yet.

You grinned in timing to the leaders of the group waving their wooden swords in the air, signaling the commencement of the fight.

You let the drunkards chatter at the tavern block out your battle cries.

"Klee loves her big sister very much!"

Sitting at the dinner table was you and your younger sibling, feet barely touching the ground as you straighten your back. You probably would've kissed the tiny girl on the forehead if you weren't in the middle of a meal, but that didn't stop the giant smile that lit up your face. "I love you too Klee!" You cheerfully stated back, swinging your legs back and forth.

Chicken skewers, you didn't mind the dish at all, well, if you didn't consider that it had been the only thing you'd eaten all week. You'd gone to the Good Hunter to grab some dinner like you always did, telling the nice lady there just to put it "on your tab." It had been fun and sounded mature the first few times you had done it, but now it just served as a reminder that your big brother wasn't there to pay or cook for you and your sister.

Money was never a problem in your household, you would always have food on your plate and a nice home to keep you warm to sleep. You had all your basic necessities, but it was the parental figure you missed. Your mother Alice had long gone disappeared, so you'd looked up to Albedo to fill up the position. He did, with his constant fretting about your health and condition, and his unconditional love despite his odd way of expressing it. He was just never home anymore, not after he'd scored that job with the Favonius Knights.

You eyed the way Klee struggled with biting the meat on the skewer.

But Albedo hadn't left you to take care of Klee by yourself, that would've been cruel. The acting grandmaster Jean often took that responsibility, as well as a lot of the Favonius Knights. It was always an option for you as well, but merely the thought of staying in a cramped room was enough for you to shake your head. Therefore you lacked a parental figure, which is why you'd grown up so chaotic and reckless.

Although, you couldn't say you were particularly alone. Even with your group of friends, you often visited Bennett's fathers to have dinner, or even go to Barbara's household to have breakfast with Jean. You never visited Fischl's house, but that's because you were pretty sure she was embarrassed to admit to all the fantasy books that resembled so much to her role playing.

You were in the middle of telling Klee to slow down before she choked on all that meat, and then the door knob twisted slowly.

You took immediate notice of this, waiting patiently as the door creaked open. In the entrance was a short stature male, backpack heaved onto his shoulders as his light golden locks slipped to reach his shoulders. His eyes were a light blue, contrasting against the dark eye bags.

"ALBEDO!"

"BIG BROTHER!"

You and Klee jumped at the same instant, but you were quicker to rush over to him, throwing yourself with open arms. As usual, you knocked down his tired form, realizing with his groan that you'd been to brusque with your motion. Raising your hands apologetically, you didn't even get the chance to say anything before Klee jumped down on his chest.

He let out a big sigh before pulling you both into a hug.

Afterwards, you helped him up, tugging his heavy backpack off his shoulders before placing it on your own shoulders. You used to have difficulty taking it back to his room, but with all those battles against the neighborhood kids, you'd gained experience. You now easily carried the backpack, placing it against his bedside.

You spotted Albedo combing his fingers through Klee's hair as big fat tears filled down her cheeks, eyes already puffy from crying. Albedo's absence had a big impact on you both, more so your younger sister considering her age.

"I'll grab more chicken skewers!" You offered, walking to the door and teaching for your coat on the side. "You're coming back from Dragonspine right? That's a long way away..."

You had always wanted to explore past Mondstadt walls, see the monsters Albedo would tell you stories about. But you had yet to even cross Mondstadt gates, or rather, ever since that one time you'd gone venturing by yourself. But that was the encounter with that witch, the one who had cursed you, you couldn't exactly blame Albedo for not trusting you outside after that.

But the sentiment stayed.

One day you'd leave and explore, you'd see every sight there was to gaze upon. Eat lunches on top of mountains, fend off monsters with friends, live life free without restraints.

"That'll be unnecessary," your brother stated, stopping you before you could put your jacket on. "I had dinner on the way here, however I appreciate the thought." You nodded, going back to the table to take a seat, you knew the more pressing topic at hand, or rather, what he'd be interested in. "Anyways, any abnormalities while I was gone?"

"Nope," you replied easily enough, "Hardly coughed out any these past few weeks."

He was talking about your curse, despite how much it irritated you for him to bring it up. You knew it was because he cared, but you wished he could bring up anything other than that. It was almost always the first thing he would ask.

Seeing your frown, he waved you over, Klee still sitting on his lap. He wasn't one for physical contact, but you and Klee felt comfort from touch, so he'd pushed his limits a bit to coax you both. When you were close enough, he pulled you into a side hug so you could lean against his shoulder. Tears pricked at the corners of your eyes at this, and you tried blinking them away.

"When are you leaving?" You asked, biting your lip in an attempt to make your voice seem firm. It didn't, and the question came out so heartbroken that Klee began to sob again.

Albedo tensed, his hand coming to rest on top of Klee's head. There was just something about the way you asked that question that always made the room so much more depressing. As if no matter how long he stayed, it would never be as much as you and Klee needed.

"Y/n," he said softly, "What did I tell you about questions like that?"

You sniffled before taking a deep breath in to control the tears that wanted to roll down your cheeks. "That r-rather than asking questions like that, I should appreciate the time we have now..."

He didn't respond, and you wrapped your arms around him even tighter, pressing Klee into the hug as you shoved your head against his shoulder. Tears finally fell from your eyes, and you could only hope he couldn't feel it past his shirt.

"Let's go!"

You wandered behind Klee's happy form, watching her jump up and down as she raced ahead of you. A normal morning, you were headed to meet Barbara today at the Good Hunter. Both you and Klee had already had a good fill of breakfast, and you were sure the blonde pigtailed girl had plans to buy lunch so you three could find a good place to have a picnic. If you were lucky, you could get Fischl and Bennett to come along, but you were pretty sure those two had plans for today.

You let Klee disappear between buildings in her hurry, she'd spent enough of her time venturing around Mondstadt with Jean. The girl knew every nic and cranny of the city just like you, and she had already begun her own trail of chaos in her wake.

Oh Klee- she made you so proud.

You slowly trudged to Main Street with all the hustle and bustle, watching as merchants came in. It wasn't too busy just yet, but there was already a slight lineup for the food at Good Hunter, and you cheekily smiled to yourself when you noticed Barbara was at the head of that lineup. You cast a glance around to spot Klee and just where she could be, and your heart dropped.

Those weren't merchants.

You realized that just as you noticed the insignia's embedded on their sides. Albedo had shown you them before, Treasure Hoarders, but they often traveled the lands of Liyue with its Mora manufacturing, why Mondstadt?

Your heart dropped even further when you noticed just how close they were to Klee.

They were speaking to her, all tall and towering over her small form as they 'spoke' to her. As if they were trying to be intimidating, and it was working, the poor girl was shaking so hard, it ignited a terrible fury in you.

You took a step forward, looking around for a good weapon. You were aware these weren't your average neighborhood kids, and that these were real 'adults' , but you'd be damned if you let them talk that way to your sister.

"Your fault..."

You froze, a hand reaching to your throat instinctively as the familiar rush of dread washed over you.

"It's all your fault..."

The words were in the breeze, brushing past your ears as you fought not to crumple to your knees. You weren't in the middle square just yet, still hiding around the corner so that no one could see it. They couldn't hear the horrible cough that contracted your chest, nor the blood that slid down your chin, soaking your white tunic.

'No no no.'

'Any time but now.'

But this was not a fight you could win, and you sank to the ground hacking your throat out. You could hear a gruff man's voice, and you already knew without having to see it that it was one of the treasure hoarders, the ones near Klee.

"You're her sister aren't you? Sister of the Blood Maiden."

'Blood Maiden...?'

Your head felt dizzy, blood trickling down past your lips. The graveled pavement below you was stained red, puddles pooling beneath your knees. You could hear Klee's frantic voice, not exactly what she was saying, just that she sounded so scared.

'I need to get to her- I need to...'

"She's cursed!" The man said in rebuttal to whatever Klee had stated. "She will bring doom to all the people near to her- has she not already stirred enough trouble?!"

It was no longer just the man's voice, you could now pick up on all different voices from around the Main Street coming to join in on what the man was saying. Agreement, you could barely register the words except for that they agreed on whatever that wretched man had said.

"She... has caused quite a lot of trouble..."

"She's caused that boy so much misfortune! That poor boy Bennett, the reason why tragedy strikes him is because he's near her!"

"Now that you say it... it does make sense..."

"Really?! She will bring us all doom? What do we do with her then?"

You tried to choke back down the blood rushing past your throat, just to hear their words clearer. These were all voices you recognized, surely they couldn't be saying such things. Sure you caused trouble, but you would always help with the repairs! This had nothing to do with your curse- you didn't plague Bennett with misfortune did you?

"You're her sister aren't you?" The gruff voice spoke again, and you could imagine the horrific image of him standing over Klee. You could imagine the fear in her eyes, the terror. You wished you could get back up, you wished with all your might you could do anything to get Klee out of there. You could dwell on the whole Blood Maiden thing later, you just needed to get your sister out of there. "My wife has told me loads of things she's done to Mondstadt, show me where she is."

"No."

The sudden chatter died down, and it was now you who was terrified.

"Klee won't show you where big sister is."

The pavement was blurry underneath you, one hand supporting your entire body from falling completely. You didn't know what to focus on, your body threatening to collapse on you, or the sound of Klee's voice. However you managed to drag your body forwards with one hand, on all fours as you craned your neck to see the situation.

You wish you hadn't.

The treasure hoarder had Klee held up by the collar of her tunic with one hand. It was dirty with mud from the mans gloves, and you could imagine the look Klee would have once getting back home. It was designed especially for her, with a red white pattern she had chosen, a gift from Albedo. It was important to her, that man was tarnishing something that was important to her.

"Then you have no use," the man growled, raising his fist. "Children like you should just do as adults say, I'll give you one more chance."

The young girl lifted by her neck was trembling, small hands trying to tug off the large hand around her neck, fingernails digging into her skin.

"Klee... Klee says no."

The punch came in harder than you had expected, you could almost feel the impact of his fist against your cheek. As if he had punched you. His arm had snapped, and you could only watch in dismay as Klee's body flew back in a way a child's body should never have to go through. The blood spilling from your lips continued to flow, but you no longer felt dizzy.

You felt angry. So incredibly angry.

Grabbing a wooden barrel perched next to a house, you lifted yourself up just as the treasure hoarder continued walking to Klee. Your legs were shaking, blood coating half of your face as you stumbled your way through the main square. Not many people noticed you, but the ones that did gasped.

"Let her go!"

That same treasure hoarder that had punched Klee was heading for her again, kneeling down to the poor girl's injured form. He paused at the sound of your voice, turning with a scoff before seeing your bloodied figure.

The amount of blood on your shirt and the way it continued to slide down your mouth wasn't normal. Even to the human eye it looked terribly painful despite it being only your throat that hurt with the intensive coughing.

"I said let her go."

Your voice came out hoarse, eyes crazed and red. You took a quaky step forward, the man took a step back. You knew he was scared, knew he was slightly fazed from the appalling sight of blood streaming down your face. You didn't know where the strength to stand up came from, not with this much blood dribbling out from your mouth. But you were going to take advantage of it, if you couldn't beat this man with force, you'd sure as hell scare the living shit out of him.

"H-Ha!" The man started, trying to sound sure of himself rather than downright terrified. "So you've decided to show yourself Blood Maiden! About time, we're y-you just gonna let and watch your sister get beaten?!"

'Shut up.'

You took a step closer, forcing the man against a wall. He could no longer walk back against your approaching form, hands shaking on either side of him. "N-not gonna answer are we? Should I just b-beat some sense into you too?!"

Before he could even consider it a possibility, you grabbed the strap around his chest, pulling it down so that he had to lean down to your height. You took a step closer so that your face was on level with his ear.

"I'll curse you," you said with a gentle voice, so ghastly it didn't even sound like your voice at all. "I'll make you suffer so much you'll regret ever coming to Mondstadt." You could feel him shudder against you, the way he couldn't lift a finger against your voice. "Is misfortune what you're looking for? Because I can give you just that, stay away from Mondstadt. If your search is for the curse of the Blood Maiden, the curse is just what you'll get."

When you released him, he fell to his knees, unable to look you in the eyes. "More people will b-be looking for you," he then said, voice shaking. "It isn't j-just me and a couple treasure hoarders who have news on the Blood Maiden... the cursed woman who brings misfortune on Teyvat..."

You passed, a chill running down your spine. This must be a joke, news of a cursed woman who brings misfortune around Teyvat? No wonder a group of silly treasure hoarders came down, if such a rumor spreads around, pointing fingers for your misfortune is just as easy as that.

'That means my family is in danger.'

'Albedo, Klee... Fischl, Bennett, Barbara...'

'All of Mondstadt .'

Dangerous fellows, coming to Mondstadt just to get rid of the Blood Maiden? This meant trouble, and not the chaos you'd start around with the townsfolk.

"You have connections," you then whispered in a soft voice. "You have a network, tell everyone you can get your hands on that the Blood Maiden no longer resides in Mondstadt."

"W-what?"

"That slow are we?" You mocked, trying to hide the fear in your gaze. The confusement in your voice, instinct acting on its own. Easy, to protect your friends and family from these rumors, you'd simply leave Mondstadt. If the Blood Maiden no longer resided there, there was no reason at all to come. "I'm leaving Mondstadt, if anyone wants to have a shot at me, don't come here."

The man was frozen, unmoving as you turned, looking for Klee. Smashed between a table, the glass of water had tipped over, spilling over her sleeve and drenching her hand. Yet her eyes were closed, and you could already see the formation of a bruise on one side of her cheek, her eye was swelling, black and purple mixing in with the pulsing red.

You choked back a sob.

No, instead you picked up the small girl, cradling her in your arms as you stood back up. Your eyes scanned the crowd, landing on Barbara only a few feet away. You nudged her along with your head, pushing by the flurry of people crowding by. Easing back into the dark alleyway, you slinked back to another bunch of buildings. It took no time at all for you to reach your house, opening the door with Barbara just behind you. She hadn't uttered a word on the way there and you were grateful.

"Do you mind patching her up?" You began, voice just as dream-like as the time you'd spoken with the man. "I'll wash up."

She nodded, and you head to the washroom, giving yourself a good look in the mirror. You were shocked, no wonder the man had cowered in such fashion, you looked hideous. H/c hair in a complete mess, you brushed out the tangles, taking one of the brushes and stuffing it in your pocket. Next you washed off the blood on your face with water, taking a few minutes to fully scrape off dry blood that stuck to your lip. Taking off your tunic and pair of pants, you threw them to the side, washing the blood off the rest of your body.

Grabbing a spare set of clothing, you quickly put it on. A long loose shirt with a simple pair of shorts, you'd grab your jacket and boots after. Your e/c eyes were dull, void of light as you stared at your now clean form in the mirror.

Klee was the only thing on your mind.

Stepping into her room where Barbara was patching her up, the girl was trying her best not to wake her up, a first aid kit and ice next to her bedside. The blow had been hard, and on a body as fragile as Klee's, no doubt there was more injury than there appeared to be.

"Barbara."

Her head snapped to yours, eyes softening when she noticed you were all cleaned up. Standing up, she made her way to you, slowly wrapping her arms around you. Her hand patted your back, and you recognized it as a gesture that Albedo would often do to comfort you or Klee. "It wasn't your fault," She said in a soft voice, nailing down your worries in one blow. She knew you so well, it was scary how she knew just what to say, the right words. "This whole Blood Maiden thing is just the result of rumors blowing up in the most hideous way."

You let your head rest in the crevice of Barbara's neck, stifling a sob. You selfishly let her coax you, hold you as you broke down. That confidence that you had once had with the man was long gone, revealing your raw vulnerable emotions in the daylight.

"But she's hurt... a-all because of me- K-Klee is..."

"That man is the one who is at fault, you defended Klee."

"B-because of me... they came, this wouldn't have h-happened..."

"Again Y/n, there are some things beyond our control, it's not your fault."

"W-what if they come again? If s-someone else gets hurt...?"

"The knights of Favonius can help, all of Mondstadt can help, we now know of the threat."

Mondstadt?

You'd seen how the people had whispered, unknowing that you could hear them. Their theories, their judgment . No matter how much you tried, no matter how much you showcased your human side, how you were 'human' , it didn't matter. The only thing you were viewed as was a curse.

'Blood Maiden.'

You straightened up, as if coming back to your senses as you brushed the tears away. "It doesn't matter," you told Barbara in a more firm voice. "I told the man I was leaving Mondstadt, I can't risk any of you guys like this. The Blood Maiden has become such a big thing, it wasn't just them."

"Leave M-Mondstadt? Are you out of your mind?!"

"You saw how they acted, they were 'scared .' Scared of a cursed woman so much that they punched a 'child' ! If people are willing to go through such lengths, I'd be more of a burden staying here in Mondstadt."

"But we have people here who can protect you..." Barbara said softly. "People who care about you."

"I can't put the people I care about in danger," you said, a final. You wouldn't back down from this. "Today there weren't many Favonius Knights here either, it's not like there's always someone capable of protecting Mondstadt from people like that. Besides, it's a good opportunity to go out and try to find out how to get rid of this curse myself. Then I can come back, I promise."

She wasn't convinced, but the look she gave you told you she was willing to play along for now.

You went to your bedroom, grabbing a selection of things you would take for the journey. Extra clothing, basic necessities, only the minimal. There was a backpack in Albedo's room you could use, and you hoped he wouldn't need it for any of his future adventures. He already had one on whatever current quest he was on. The backpack with the very few things you decided to bring wasn't very heavy, but you grabbed a piece of paper and a pen from Albedo's desk.

You needed to write him a letter.

You explained what had happened, the problem you now posed to Mondstadt, and how you couldn't bear to have the people you cared about in danger. You wrote down begging for him not to follow you, that at one point you were gonna go exploring, might as well be sooner than later. That you would be fine, and that the moment you figured all of this cursed stuff out, you'd run back home. You wrote down about how much you loved him and Klee, how you'd do anything to hug him right now, how you wished he would tell you it was alright. You were pretty sure a few teardrops skid down to stain the page, but you didn't care.

Grabbing the backpack, you slowly made your way to Barbara who was leaning against the wall of your hallway. She offered you a smile as the two of you made your way to the doorway. You had packed an abundance of food that you saved for emergencies, making Barbara promise that she would be beside Klee until the moment she woke up. If not, get Klee to come back home with her, and Jean could take care of her.

The two of you made your way to the back gate, the main square now fully empty. Mondstadt looked like a ghost town, with no one in the main square, and with the chairs and tables from Good Hunter smashed and wrecked. The two of you walked down the steps to the back gate where no one was watching.

"I really can't stop you can I...?" Barbara said in a small voice, stopping in her tracks just before you crossed the entryway. "I never can."

She looked so pitiful there, the sudden urge to run to her and hug her tugging at your chest. But if you couldn't resist the sensation of running back, you would never be able to walk forwards. A sad smile tugged at the corners of lips, tears threatening to fall.

"I'll come back, so soon you'll forget I was ever gone."

"Impossible, the minute you walk out that gate I'll feel it."

'Barbara... why do you make this so hard?'

A tear slid down your cheek, touching the tip of your lip.

"Tell Fischl I stole one of her fantasy books, the one she's been complaining about for weeks." You let out a soft chuckle while trying to wipe the tear off the sleeve with your jacket. "She should be able to find it under my bed." When you sniffled in attempt to hide away the tears, the burning sensation in your chest grew. "God, I'll miss her gibberish, even if I never knew what it meant."

Barbara choked a sob.

"Tell Bennett not to stop causing a ruckus around Mondstadt, someone's gotta continue the tradition for me..." your hand came to grasp your backpack. "And... tell him I'm sorry, so sorry if all that misfortune was because of my curse. I... I d-didn't mean to hurt him, I always wanted him to smile."

The thought of all the mishaps happening to Bennett being because of you tore your heartstrings.

"And finally... Barbara."

You took a step forward, encasing her trembling form in a hug. She clutched the fabric of your shirt with a strength you didn't know she possessed, pulling you close, unwilling to let go.

"Barbara, promise me that no matter what, you'll stay strong. I don't even know why you stayed with us..." your voice broke. "You were too good for our group of misfits anyway, too good for me. Stayed with me even when I pushed you away. So... don't forget about me, when I come back, don't push me away."

Her cries rocked your body back and forth.

When you let go and took a step back, she looked back, tears still sliding down her porcelain face. But she was smiling, a sad one, but smiling.

You smiled back through your tears.

Turning around took more effort than it should've, you wanted to turn back, laugh it off, okay away the idea of leaving Mondstadt. Leaving your family, your friends. Knowing deep down that you were no match for the world ahead of you, and even with your age, the experience you had was nothing compared to what you needed to survive out there.

'Goodbye, Albedo... Klee, Barbara, Fischl, Bennett...'

'Goodbye Mondstadt.'

Chapter 3: Survival of the Fittest

Summary:

In which you realize that hilichurls and slimes are a pain in the ass, and that wolf boy is best boy

Chapter Text

You had severely underestimated life outside Monstadt.

The first few hours had run smoothly, avoiding the trail that would surely have adventurers on it. You stuck to the trees nearby to have an idea of where you were headed. Of course in that backpack you'd stolen from Albedo's room was a map, and you never quite realized just how bad of a sense of direction you had. You'd only made it to Springvale before it got dark, staying in one of the tents surrounded by two cliffs on the sides.

It's not like you made it there unscathed either.

Slimes and Hilichurls, you'd grown a burning hatred for both. You'd found a sharp stick under one of the Sunsettia trees, using it just like you had in Monstadt. You weren't completely defenseless, but stabbing small slimes to smithereens was certainly not the same as countering attacks from swords. As for the hilichurls... you'd learned just to make a run for it, those masked things were wild.

Kicking off the slime condensation that had pooled at your feet, you took off your boots, slipping into the tent with a long sigh. The night breeze chilled you through the tents fabric, but you were happy to have found a place to sleep at all. You'd seen the hilichurl camp only a while away, hoping that there wouldn't be some secret attack while you were asleep. That would be the end of your journey before it had even started.

To be quite fair, you didn't really know where your journey was going to take you.

The map only showed the lands of Monstadt and Liyue, and you figured it would be a death wish to try going further than that. You certainly couldn't stay near Monstadt, and Dragonspine wasn't an option. That left Liyue, but the port was so far away, would you even make it that far?

Pulling out a chicken skewer out of your container of food, you brought it up to your lips. It had been well cooked, but it was cold to your lips. You didn't mind, food was food, it's not like you were going to be picky about the things you could eat at this point. You gobbled up the skewer just like Klee would, nearly choking on the meat.

The stick just beside your bedside was sharp, and you spent a good hour on it just before you went to bed. Rubbing a rock on the tips till it made a fine blade. You'd made spears like these before, wooden ones, but had never really had a chance to use it, your intention was never to kill the Monstadt children in your fights.

You didn't even need a good stick to fight them off.

It wasn't like you lacked that much in the fighting department, you'd had plenty of practice with Bennett and his wooden swords. His dads would always teach you cool tricks, but you never ever really felt keen to try using a sword, always a branch or a stick that you found someplace. Bennett's father often told you the way you handled it was like a spear, flicking it around like Fischl had with expertise.

You didn't know anyone who used a spear in Monstadt, so it came as more of a confusion than a surprise. You'd asked Albedo how to use a spear, but he didn't have much knowledge in that department either, fortunately he was able to get you a book from Lisa on it.

The book was full of shit.

Well at your young age you had no interest in learning how to use a spear from a 'book .' That defeats the whole purpose of it! So you had borrowed a picture book instead, visualizing just how they would swing it around, countering attacks, slicing through opponents.

It sure has been a couple years, but with your slime slicing skills now, you figured the picture book hadn't really helped you either.

With a yawn, you pulled out a blanket from your backpack, curling into the cold dirt ground as you encased yourself in the warmth. Even if your spear skills weren't up to date just yet, you'd get there, get strong enough even to protect yourself and the people around you.

The thought of fighting alongside your group of misfits made you smile.

You woke up the loud chirping of a bird, eyes snapping open with a groan. It's too bad you didn't have a bow and arrow on you, you could practically visualize shooting an arrow through the bird's skull. It probably looked like one of the ones Timmy would feed, and that only made you want to shoot it more. Every single time, every single 'damn' time someone accidentally scared his little birdies away he'd come running into the main square, bawling his eyes out. You hadn't minded it the first few times, that is, until he started to blame your little group of misfits for it.

You swore that once you got a hold of a bow and arrow, you'd relish returning to Monstadt and scaring those birds so terribly they'd never come back. Maybe even make a few fresh chicken skewers for Klee.

Sitting up, you hoisted your body up to kneel. Ruffling the blanket into a ball, you stuffed it in the backpack. Opening the flap of the tent, you let out a big yawn, welcoming the morning sun as it shone right at your face. You would've enjoyed the moment if not for the company sitting right beside you.

Hilichurls.

There were only three of them, surrounding a small campfire by the side of your tent. One of them was speaking gibberish and jumping around, doing some weird ritual dance. The other two just bobbed their heads as if vibing to some really good music, and you probably would've joined in if it wasn't for the fact that the moment they turned to you, they all jumped to their feet, yelling out a battle cry.

' Ah shoot-'

Snatching the wooden spear from the floor of your tent, you raised it in front of you to intimidate them. Only one of them had a weapon, a big bat with spikes on the edges, you had no doubt it would cause a lot of damage, but your only option was to fight. You wouldn't forfeit this new tent nor your camping spot, especially not to a bunch of silly Hilichurls.

'That's right, silly hilichurls, that's all they are.'

The two that didn't have weapons dashed at you, raising their tiny fists in an attempt to intimidate you. Unwavering, you tightened your grip on the stick in your hand. Dashing to the side, you slashed at one of them, trying to catch it by surprise. It hadn't expected this, falling to the ground with a thud. Its companions charged, and you only had time to put the spear in front of you before it shoved you backwards. Fortunately, it wasn't strong enough to fully push you down, and you used this as an opportunity to raise the stick over your head, stabbing down at the hilichurl like you had done with the slimes.

It worked.

You watched with a slight bit of terror as the creature reached for the hole through its mask, hands shaking as it tumbled to the ground. Unlike the other hilichurl, it wasn't getting back up.

'So all it takes is a little stabby stabby-'

Adrenaline coursed through your veins as you dodged attacks from the creature that had just gotten up, not finding much difficulty in its movements. You found yourself slashing down on it like you had done with the previous hilichurl, breaking its mask and sending it down to the ground.

However... the last one.

Club raised, it finally charged at you, swinging the weapon angrily. Fast, the movements were so wild you had trouble keeping up with the pace, blocking attacks with your wooden stick as you looked for an opening. But you had experience with wild attacks coming from all directions, all the crazy Monstadt children with their wooden swords had surely taught you something at the very least. Kicking it while it had its arms raised and giving a killing blow, it toppled to the ground, keeping a firm grip on the club. But you were faster, stabbing your wooden spear down on its mask.

By the end of it, you were panting, hands shaking as the strong grip you had on the spear disappeared. Everything felt sore, muscles that hadn't been stretched in so long making themselves apparent in this fight. You grabbed your wooden spear, taking down the tarp and pressing it down into your backpack so it would fit. Heating some chicken skewers over the fire you had built, you slowly began your way into the small village of Springvale, munching on the skewer to fill your empty belly.

'Maybe I can get more food here...'

You had enough Mora to buy food, and you knew the amount of Chicken Skewers you had weren't gonna last you till Liyue. Unless you wanted to eat Sunsettias for the rest of your trip, you should probably begin stacking up.

'Not that I'd mind- Sunsettias are good.'

To your surprise, no one in Springvale asked about your whereabouts, and you didn't encounter anyone you knew of. Everything was going smoothly until you arrived to the lady who supposedly sold food. You'd heard from a few vendors that she was best known for the dishes she could make, you weren't planning on losing an opportunity like this.

Except for the fact that there was one small problem.

Kaeya was there.

You had strong connections with the Favonius Knights considering your brother was part of the whole organization. You'd gone to the library and often visited Grandmaster Jean's room or go to visit Klee in her 'quiet' room. Of course you'd stumble across some of the workers from time to time, Kaeya being one of them. He found your chaotic attitude endearing, teasing you for your 'childish' tendencies, it was annoying. But even if he was fond of you, the fact that you'd snuck out wouldn't sit well with him. He would no doubt drag you back, and you knew from watching his fights that he was fully capable of doing so. He was good with his sword, not as good as Albedo of course, but his movements were precise and sharp. You stood no chance.

'Forget about food- I gotta get out of here.'

You slowly inched your way to one of the buildings on the side, trying to escape from Kaeya's sight before he could spot your figure dashing around Springvale. He was in a deep conversation with the lady selling food, so you easily slipped away. However he was quick to notice the figure that had appeared as soon as it left, and he held a hand up to stop the woman from saying anything else.

"It seems I have something I need to quickly deal with," he said with a calm voice. "Pardon me, do you mind?"

The woman who was left stunned quickly shook her head.

And just like that Kaeya was on your trail, hand on the hilt of his sword as he narrowed his eyes. A suspicious figure around Springvale, it wasn't like he was gonna let you slip by, especially after noticing how you ran after catching sight of him.

'I'm so screwed.'

Dashing behind building after building, your heart thudded painfully against your chest at the thought of being taken back to Monstadt. You couldn't outrun Kaeya, you couldn't face him head on either, you could probably convince yourself that you could hide, but that was unlikely too.

'Isn't he a pirate? Scary stuff-'

You were approaching the trees, and you knew it would be a whole different problem in the forest. The trees provided zero hiding places, and stuff like Hilichurls and slimes could give your position away. Not only that, but you didn't exactly want him seeing you viciously murder a slime or two.

However, before you could even worry about the icy Favonius Knight catching up to you, another figure emerged from the forest. He was young, the boy with silver like hair that brushed past his hips. Eyes bright and red, scars across his face. He probably would've scared you if it wasn't for the fact that the look on his face made him look so juvenile. Gloves and hood, even with the teeth like a necklace, he gave you the impression of someone who needed protection.

'He's so cute-'

But that didn't change the situation at hand, and your panicked expression seemed to panic him as well. "Is there any good place to hide?" You asked quickly, hands grasping at the two straps of your backpack tighter.

"Hide?" The boy repeated as if he didn't understand the question. Looking around slowly from side to side, he shook his head. "No... forest not good place to hide. Why?"

Well shoot- you didn't know why you stayed there frozen in place if staying in the forest wasn't a good idea, but it wasn't like you could run back to Kaeya either. "I'm escaping from someone," you said quickly, hands shaking. "Someone dangerous, I need to get out of here or hide." You didn't know why you told him this, Kaeya wasn't dangerous, he'd probably just throw you over his shoulder and carry you back home. But the situation called for a bit of exaggeration, and maybe the boy could help you if he pitied you.

"Dangerous? Hmmm, Razor might be able to help..." the boy looked past your shoulder, turning around. "Here, human girl, jump."

You didn't understand what he meant until he gestured to his back, and you realized he was offering to carry you out of here. You hesitated, uncertain if this was such a good idea. Kaeya was fast, would a boy carrying someone else really be able to run faster than the knight?

"Y/n?"

You heard Kaeya's voice from behind you, and you tensed before looking back at the boy. He had called himself Razor right? Well frankly he was your only option, you didn't dwell on the consequences of getting caught by the knight. You offered a small wave to the knight as he watched you in shock, too stunned to move as you pounced on the boys back.

"Go! Go! Go!"

The boy didn't need to be told twice, and you nearly screeched as he fell to all fours, running through the woods at a speed you didn't think was possible. Your arms wrapped around his neck, legs tightening around his waist as he dashed through the forest. This would certainly leave Kaeya in the dust.

Eventually the boy stopped and you toppled to the ground, arms sore from how tightly you'd been grabbing onto him. "Thank... thank you." You said in a breathless whisper, "I wouldn't have been able to outrun him without you."

The boy simply nodded, "I'm Razor."

Ah, so his name was Razor. He spoke a bit roughly, and you wondered if he knew the language that well. "My name is Y/n, nice to meet you Razor." When you went to outstretched your hand for a shake, he seemed confused by the gesture, tapping your hand with a confused expression on his face.

'He's so adorable I can't-'

Giggling to yourself, you softly grabbed his hand, placing it in yours to shake it. "It's a greeting," you said, "Like saying hello." If you were right, the boy wasn't knowledgeable about the language or human culture. How he managed in the world you didn't know. He went to shake your hand, and you could feel the calluses on his hand, recognizing a claymore on his side. You only knew of a few people who actually could swing around a big sword like that, Eula and Diluc. There was also Noelle, but she was always off training, so you were pretty sure she could master any weapon.

"Who was dangerous man?" Razor asked, letting go and letting his hand rest by his hip. "He gave Razor bad feeling..."

'That's an oof for your charm Kaeya-'

"He wanted to take me back home," you replied, trying to be honest. "But I can't go back home right now."

The poor boy just looked confused.

"From home?" He asked, a worried look crossing his face. "But home safe."

A soft smile crossed your lips, and you went to ruffle the boys hair by instinct. After noticing how you'd done it so suddenly, you retracted your hand. "Oh! Sorry about that-" when the boy only looked more puppy dog-like, you continued to answer his question. "The truth is... I'm a danger right now to my home, to the people around me."

Slowly nodding, you could tell the silver haired boy didn't understand at all. "So Y/n has no home now?" He asked cautiously, putting a hand to his chin.

"I... guess you could say that."

After hearing your answer, the boy brightened up. "You can stay with Razor!" After saying those words, he contemplated it a little more. "But Razor is not sure if wolves will approve..."

'Wolves?'

"Wolves?"

"Yes," the boy answered with a nod. "Wolves are Razor's family."

'I'm in Wolvendom aren't I-'

You knew the area was fairly close to Springvale, but it still surprised you to know that in that short of time he had run that far. Yet to have a family with wolves? Is that how the boy was raised? By the look of his clothing and manner of speech, you would certainly think so, especially with the way he ran, like a wolf.

"I'm not sure your family would like me staying with them..." you said honestly, rubbing the back of your head. "It's okay if not, I'm going exploring anyway."

"Razor will ask," the boy interrupted, still determined to get you a place to live. It was odd but strangely heartwarming, to think the boy would care so much about such a trivial ordeal.

And just like that he was gone, running farther into the forest with just a few motions. He was fast, the way he moved around the terrain was so skilled it made you gape. Maybe if you could stay with him, he could teach you a thing or two about moving around like that. Not on four legs, but being able to travel faster would definitely be useful.

Apparently talking to his family didn't take too long, because he was back before you could fully scan the area around you. His eyes were dark, and you immediately knew that whatever the wolves had told him, it wasn't anything good for you. Which made sense, you knew by the way Kaeya and Jean spoke about the wolves in Springvale that there was some tension between them and the hunters. It would be silly to think a human like you could enter their lifestyle, you weren't welcome here.

"They don't like Y/n," Razor said in a soft voice. "But Razor thinks it'll be okay, they will change their mind." You appreciated the thought, the two of you had just met yet he cared so much about your well-being. He had already done so much by getting you out of Kaeya's sight.

"It's okay Razor, I don't want to complicate things for you." When he frowned, your heart clenched and you stopped your hand from patting him. "I appreciate it though, why are you willing to go that far for me though?"

"Because Razor knows how it feels to be alone... without a home."

If you had any restraint earlier, it was all but gone now. Those words reached you, and your arms came to wrap themselves around the silver haired boy. Precious, you had the instinct to never let him go and block him from harm's way. A similar feeling that you'd have with Barbara.

"Then... I guess we can try it, I'll stay with you then." He was right, right now you didn't have a home, until you could stand on both feet in a world like this and protect yourself, sticking around someone didn't sound so bad. "But if there's ever any problems with your family, don't feel forced to keep me around."

Razor didn't hug you back, but when you pulled away, there was a smile on his face. He slowly nodded, leading you further into the forest. You followed him without hesitation, glancing at the new environment around you as you got deeper into the forest. It was different from the forests in Monstadt, the trees thicker and strange berries and plants sprouting near the trail. You felt like you were walking through a forest wonderland, and a smile prodded at your lips.

So far, this adventure was more than you had hoped for.

"Y/n!"

It had been a couple days since you settled with the boy in his cave, you were grateful to see there weren't any other wolves. It hadn't been hard to accustom to his routine, and you found the cave to your liking, it was bigger than you expected. You let Razor use your blanket, and you used the fabric of the tent tarp to keep you warm when going to bed. Dinner always consisted of whatever Razor found while hunting, and you both would cook it over a fire. He knew how to cook more than just meat which was a surprise, and you had ended up learning a few recipes from him.

In the daytime, the two of you would go exploring. Razor would show you around the forest, and keep up with his duty of protecting Wolvendom from strangers who wanted to do the wolves harm. In these expeditions, he'd taken it upon himself to teach you how to hunt, and how to catch the prey by surprise. Razor just had this way of blending in with the area no matter where it was, it amazed you, and you practiced the hunting strategies he'd taught you whenever you could.

Right now was one of those moments where the two of you were venturing around Wolvendom, hunting for boars. However this time you stumbled upon those strange berries you'd seen earlier, the purple one that seemed almost bigger than your hands. You'd tried to take one of them, avoiding the spikes but somehow still slicing your palm with one of them.

'Ugh, stupid berries-'

You didn't mind it, continuing to pluck the berry despite Razor's worried cry. You wondered if you could eat it, it looked big and plump, maybe you could incorporate it into some of the dishes Razor had been teaching you.

When the silver haired boy reached you, you didn't resist when he tugged at your hand. If this tiny amount of blood worried him, you didn't even want to think of what he would think if he saw you coughing out puddles of blood. You heard him sigh, cupping your hand in his as he tugged you up. You had managed to get the berry And held it up with a content smile on your lips.

"Look Razor! We can add this to dinner."

The boy slowly nodded, pulling you along back in the direction of the shelter. The cut wasn't deep enough to be much of a worry, and Razor gingerly took the berry from your grip with his gloves. "Wolfhook," he said, motioning to the berry. "Be... careful, Wolfhook spiky."

Wolfhook... well the berry certainly suited the name.

"Does cut hurt?" The boy then asked, glancing down to your joined hands.

"A little bit, maybe it would feel better if you kissed it better~!"

It was a joke of course, a tease that always got Bennett blushing. You didn't try it with Barbara, knowing she'd scream something along the lines of, "IT'S NOT FUNNY Y/N, YOU'RE HURT!" And Fischl would probably start ranting about the significances of a kiss and how it actually wouldn't help the injury at all, save for waking a princess up from her slumber.

However, what you didn't expect was for Razor to take it seriously, and you could only stare and watch as Razor lifted your hand close to his mouth. Your stomach did a flip as he pressed his lips against your palm, right next to the cut. He was so gentle, you knew there were two sides to the Razor you were around. He was a hunter, among the wolves he fulfilled his duty to protect his family. But he was also a boy, a human boy who was soft hearted and gentle.

"Does cut feel better?"

'Yes- oh dear lord yes-'

Turning your head so that he couldn't see your flushed state, you slowly nodded. "Yes...thank you Razor." He looked content at this, continuing to hold your hand as the two of you made your way back to the shelter. A bright smile was plastered on your face beneath the red cheeks.

It had now been two weeks.

It certainly hadn't felt like it, the days with Razor passed so quickly you could hardly keep track of them. His company soothed you, and the two of you didn't feel the necessity to talk when together. There was no tension or awkwardness between the two of you, as if you already understood his situation as you understood his.

You were hunting today, and Razor was letting you lead the hunt today for the first time. You had your wooden spear in hand, prowling around the forest with a stealth you'd learned from the boy. You'd had much more practice with Hilichurls and slimes, even getting to fight mitachurls at some points. Those things were twice the size of hilichurls, but you'd grown faster during your time with Razor. Sure he couldn't exactly help you with spear techniques and just how to use your weapon, but movement was a specialty of his, one that was becoming yours.

You spotted a hilichurls camp only a little ways away, eyes narrowing in on the archers that stood on top of wooden stands. The archers would be a problem, but the Mitachurl sitting next to a fire had an axe which made it a hundred times easier. You hated the ones with the shields. Besides from that, there were two normal hilichurls on the side, and even though you couldn't see weapons, you could imagine them carrying bats.

"I can take care of this one," you told Razor as he nodded. "If something goes amiss, do you mind helping me out?"

"Razor will help if something goes wrong."

With a nod, you began to scale up one of the trees, careful not to make any noises or ruffle any of the leaves. The trees were so tightly packed together you had to take advantage of it, and from tree to tree, you ended up almost in front of the hilichurl carrying the bow. The creature hadn't taken notice of you yet, and slowing your breathing down, you jumped from the tree.

You landed on the wooden stand, cushioning your feet so that it wouldn't make too much noise. Before the hilichurl with the arrow could call out a battle cry or lift up its bow, your wooden spear sliced into its mask, cutting any hope of noise short.

The procedure was done so quickly there was hardly any noise, the mitachurl and two hilichurls just seated below had no idea what was coming. You jumped, aiming a plunging attack straight down on the three of them. Quickly slicing through the two hilichurls, you cracked one of their masks easily, letting the other tumble to the ground. Dodging the mitachurls axe, you used the ending of the swing as an opportunity to deliver a few sharp swings to its arms. Your wooden spear didn't do that much damage, and it ended up being a flurry of counters and attacks between you and the mitachurl. But still, you got the chance to dig your wooden spear into its mask when it finished its plunging attack from above.

'Ugh... mitachurls are still so hard. The fact that the spear is just wood doesn't help either.'

Uninjured, You looked over to the trees to try to spot Razor. You couldn't, another skill you had to learn from the boy. He bound out of the bush, claymore swinging in its hilt as he made his way towards you.

The two of you opened the chest just beside the wooden stand where the bow hilichurl had been. A few enhancement crystals, random notes and a fowl. You both carried the haul in your arms as you made your way back to the shelter.

Setting up dinner, the two of you spoke about your family. Razor would talk about all the wolves and explain how they'd taken care of him, there were younger wolves so they'd treated Razor like one. Given him a place to be, a place to fit in. When you asked him if he would ever want to go to Monstadt or ever be part of human civilization, he rejected the idea.

"No, Razor belongs with his family."

You knew the feeling, a tug at your heartstrings at the reminder at who you'd left behind. Klee and Albedo, you didn't even want to picture the look on Albedo's face when he read the note, didn't want to think about Klee who was being nursed back to health because of an incident that was your fault to begin with.

"You?" Razor asked, "Your family?"

"Two siblings," you answered in a soft voice. "One younger sibling... her name is Klee, she's quite chaotic, probably takes after me and my mom. She loves exploring, so it's possible you'll meet her later on, she really likes seeing things go 'kaboom !'" You demonstrated with your hands, Razor wincing at the motion but nodding. "As for my older brother... he works too hard, I'm pretty sure he just does it to distract himself, but still, he needs to learn to take a break. His name is Albedo, he's always worrying cause of me..."

"He worries? Why?"

It was tempting to tell Razor about the whole Blood Maiden ordeal. Razor was a good person, probably had no idea about the rumors. You trusted your friendship would push past any 'worries for misfortune', or the fear of ' being cursed. ' But you were still shaken up by what happened with Klee, with the treasure hoarders, with the Monstadt residents. You had trusted them too, in the same way you trusted Razor. In the end they had thought badly of you, what happened if it was the same case with this boy? You didn't want to risk it, your friendship was too precious to you.

"I have a sickness," you said in slow words, being careful not to reveal too much. "It's dangerous, Albedo was always looking for a way to cure it." Your throat seemed to squeeze tighter at the thought of it. "But it put others in danger, that's why I had to leave."

Razor looked up to meet your eyes, red orbs softening once he noticed your eyes were a little watery at the memory.

"Razor is..."

He paused, looking for the right words.

"Razor is sorry... Y/n loves family."

This was the type of connection you and Razor could share, to be able to understand this feeling. Albedo had saved you and Klee from abandonment, the wolves had taken Razor in when he was all alone. Love for your family, the smile on Klee's face radiating your soul, the hugs from Albedo that told you everything would be alright. That was everything, it meant so much to you, just as the wolves around Razor were his world.

Everything was happening too fast.

It really had been your fault, dashing into a fight without properly assessing the situation like Razor always told you. You'd been trying to put your reckless chaotic tendencies behind you, this wasn't Monstadt, being reckless would only get you hurt. You'd been doing well for the past few weeks, learning more from the boy, but at one point your will of self control broke, and you charged into battle.

'What the fuck is that supposed to be.'

Two mitachurls, a bow hilichurl, and a... troll? You were sure it was also a hilichurl with the markings engraved on its body, but waving a staff around and obnoxiously screaming rituals wasn't something you'd encountered before. You held back your laugh, knowing that the two mitachurls would be a problem.

You let yourself loosen.

That's when everything began to go wrong. Your spear was fast, hands quickly moving between slices to take advantage of the situation. The bow hilichurl was down, and you were almost done with this shield mitachurl-

"Ooga-Booga-whatever-samachurls-say."

Vines sprouted from the ground, sharp thorns pricking through the sleeves of your shirt. Too surprised to dodge the mitachurls slash, his shield threw you to the side, your back hitting the ground as you scrambled up to your feet. The sense of adrenaline came rushing in, and instead of rationally thinking your next decisions you aimed your spear for the samachurl, knocking it over.

'Oh hey- it actually hit!'

'Oh shoot- nevermind now I don't have a weapon.'

'I swear I'm not stupid- I just make... bad decisions sometimes.'

You dodged the next attack from the mitachurl, dashing over to the troll that had fallen to the ground. Whatever voodoo magic it could make was a hassle, you'd just kill it.

But before you could do so, it jumped to its feet, slamming its staff one more time before you slashed it into smithereens. But you heard a howl from the bushes, and a dreadful feeling buried itself in the out of your stomach. The mitachurls picked up on the noise, rushing over as they lost interest in you.

"RAZOR!"

And then you were running, jumping high into the air to slash both Mitachurls necks in the process. They fell to the ground, and you quickly ran over to Razor or rather where you'd last heard him. When you got there, your eyes widened, processing the situation. The troll thing really had done something when slamming its staff into the ground, and you watched as the vines wrapped themselves around Razor, tearing through his skin.

'That troll is so lucky it's already dead-'

Your wooden spear wouldn't do much against the vines that had wrapped themselves around Razor. You tugged for his claymore, wincing when he yowled in pain. You stilled and hesitated, thinking of any other way to get the vines off the boy. The claymore was the only option, so soothingly whispering sweet nothings into Razor's ear, you slowly loosened the vines around his claymore, hand on his head as you treaded your fingers through his hair.

He whimpered, but you'd gotten the claymore out, using the sharp blade to cut the vines. It was easy with his heavy sword, and you wondered just how the boy carried it around. Eventually you'd finished, slowly untangling the vines from Razor's body as he shook.

When you were done, you could tell he was in no state to walk back to the shelter. You picked him up bridal style, pulling him to your chest as he whined with each movement. Your steps were slow, trying to make minimal movement for the boy as you walked. You could see wolves that peeked through the bushes, gazing upon their injured companion. At first you'd been terrified, thinking they'd attack you and rip you to shreds with Razor unable to do anything. But they didn't intervene as you walked him back to the cave. "I'm sorry," you whispered to them.

When you reached the dark cave, you gently set him on your tent tarp. He'd already treated a few of your injuries with the Wolfhook you'd found in the forests and you knew it had healing properties. Taking the berry from a container you'd been using, you used his claymore to split it open, using the mixture inside to wipe it along his injuries.

He let out a relieved sigh.

When you finished smearing the Wolfhook along his cuts, you dug in your bag for that first aid kit you'd stuffed in there. There were bandages, and pulling them out, you wrapped the deeper cuts in the white wraps once washing out the Wolfhook.

It didn't take too long to finish bandaging everything, and for the first time, you cooked by yourself, heating up the fire to make those hashbrowns Razor had been teaching you to make. Bringing it out to set it by his laying form, you didn't know if he was awake or asleep, hopefully the latter.

"I'm sorry," you said softly, just like you had spoken to with the wolves. "When I ran off to hunt those hilichurls, I should've spoken to you first. You've been teaching me about stealth and preparation, adapting to the environment, and yet I..."

You sighed.

A hand came to tug your cheek, and your eyes snapped open, flickering back to the silver haired boy. His hand was raised, reaching to pinch your cheek as you muffled a groan, you wanted to complain, but what happened earlier came rushing back and you stayed silent with a guilty look on your face.

"Razor doesn't like face," the boy stated, voice firm and more stern than you've ever heard it. "Smile."

It wasn't hard to, especially not after he made your heart literally melt. You choked out a laugh, shaking your head in disbelief. "Oh Razor- do you even realize how cute you are?" When he didn't answer, you noticed the slight pink tint on his cheeks, and your smile grew to a cheeky grin.

You helped him sit up, offering the plate of hash browns to him as he gave you a surprised stare. Oh c'mon- it couldn't be that shocking to know you were able to cook something, you puffed out your cheeks.

"Cold..." the boy then said after you'd finished organizing all the food ingredients and let the fire burn out. "It's cold."

You gave the Razor a weird stare, you were sure the tent tarp was warm enough, but you could sacrifice the blanket for tonight if it meant him feeling comfortable. He was still tired from the ordeal with the vines, and you didn't want to complicate things for him tonight. So grabbing the blanket on the side, you wrapped it around his form, watching as he still continued to shake.

'Is he sick...? Maybe one of the cuts got infected...'

Your mood dampened even further, and you let your hand rest against his forehead to check his temperature. He seemed fine, but his form still quivered underneath the blanket. His two hands came to grasp your arm, pulling you further towards him. "Warm."

A small smile reached your lips, and you lay beside the boy, not getting under the covers. If it was just a bit of warmth, you could provide that much until he fell asleep. You wrapped your arms around his blanketed form, cocooning him in your arms as he nuzzled his head against your chest. This reminded you of Klee, holding her close when she had nightmares, grazing your hands through your hair as she held you tight. Providing warmth and comfort, whispering soft promises and staying with her through the night.

Razor slowly fell into a state of slumber, breathing slowing as his chest rose and fell with the same rhythm. All tension vanished from his face, and you held him closer.

It had finally hit the one month mark.

You'd been tense for the past few days, always casting a glance back and around the area you were in. After all Kaeya had long since returned to Monstadt, and it's likely Albedo would've returned to read your letter. You hoped that he heed your suggestion, but you weren't completely sure if he wouldn't try to track you down first, especially with the info Kaeya had on your whereabouts. If they were to come to Wolvendom, if Klee or Albedo made their way in your sight, you weren't sure if you'd be able to continue on your journey.

But nothing had happened so far, it's not like your adventure stopped at Wolvendom anyway, you needed to find a way to rid the curse and you didn't exactly think Razor was really able to help you with that.

Razor already knew that you were going to be on your way soon enough, but just like you, he was appreciating your moments together. It had only been a month, but the two of you had gotten close during this time, his strange behavior reminding you of Klee. You wouldn't mind having Razor as a younger brother.

"Y/n... careful," the silver haired boy reminded you as the two of you walked around the big stadium.

The area was beautiful, despite its groveled state, the big cratering stadium had vines wrapped around the area in an ancient fashion. You had asked Razor to descend down, but according to him, it was too dangerous for you to do so. It probably had something to do with the slight glint in the wall's eyes just a little farther away. You'd gotten a good look at it through a log that drifted right over the area, but otherwise had never entered it.

You nodded, following his warning as you walked around the trail on the sides. Bag in hand, the two of you were collecting Wolfhook, something Razor had persisted on doing once he learned you were leaving soon. He wanted you to be well fed during your journey, and had even sparred with you to make sure you were capable of fighting for yourself. It wasn't a fair fight, not with your wooden spear and his metallic claymore. Even with a better spear, you doubt you'd even be able to best the boy in a fight. Not only did he have a vision, an electro one dangling on his side, but he was swift and incredibly strong.

With his gloved hands, he reached to snatch a few Wolfhook from the ground, plopping them in the ground. He always made sure not to take too many of them, making sure the wolves around the area had enough to eat and supply themselves with.

With all the weight of the bag you were holding now, you weren't sure you'd be able to carry everything on your back when walking through the rest of Teyvat. Sure you'd gotten stronger this past month, but not nearly enough to be carrying a whole sack of Wolfhook with the rest of your bag. You'd figure out a way to tell Razor you didn't need it later, but his bright smile as he trotted through the area wasn't something you wanted to interrupt right now.

"Should we head back soon?" You asked as he plucked another Wolfhook, throwing it into the open bag in your arms. He nodded, reaching for one more Wolfhook just a little farther away. It was close to the stadium, too close, and you watched with a jolt as the dirt slipped under him.

You weren't quick enough to grab him, watching him tumble down to the cement paving as he landed on the odd engravings of the stadium. Your heart dropped, and without thinking you jumped down.

'He said it's dangerous- I need to get him out of there.'

"No!" Razor cried out before you reached the paved ground. "Stay- danger, family!"

It took a little for you to process it, but by the time you were done you'd landed on the stadium grounds. Family? His family posed a danger? That meant that Razor wasn't in harm's way at all, and that you'd just jumped down to it.

'Ah shoot-'

Tugging at your arm, the silver haired boy was trying to rush you towards the easiest ledge to climb up. You weren't at all that close, and you could only widen your eyes as something emerged from the stadium walls. A huge wolf, gigantic, enormous. Probably 4 Klee's high and 5 Klee's wide.

'It's huge wtf-'

Razor stepped in front of you, hand protectively outstretched in front of you. You were frozen, staring at the tall figure of a wolf as your hands shook.

"What is this disturbance to which I awaken? This is no offer to Boreas..."

Its voice was booming, spreading through the stadium and echoing back in a fuming rage. You wanted to step back, run and get away from the stadium, but you didn't cower against the roar.

'Not as bad as I expected- Albedo is scarier.'

You had to admit that getting your brother riled up was one of the most terrifying things you'd ever gone through. Maybe even scarier than the wolf in front of you. The difference being that Albedo always just 'knew' . You'd hide in the closet before he got home, he knew you were there. You hid in the garden behind the cathedral after running off, he would find you, five minutes tops. It's like he had a gps on the back of his head, you wouldn't be surprised since he had to track down Klee every time she played a game of hide and go seek and disappeared to who knows where. But still, knowing that wherever you went, that it still wouldn't be enough to hide from Albedo, it was terrifying.

Well, hopefully Wolvendom was too far for whatever tracker qualities he possessed, or else you'd be screwed.

Well, not that the big wolf in front of you was any better.

Oh god- and when Albedo yelled? It was rare, you'd admit that it almost never happened. But when it did? Scary as fuck, you'd have nightmares for a few nights.

"Good human!" Razor tried, hand trembling slightly as he fought to be heard in the large walls of the stadium. "Please! Calm!"

"You seek to protect this outsider?" The big wolf bellowed, taking a step forward and causing the ground beneath it to shudder. "You are human as well Razor, never forget that. It is I who has given you permission to live in Wolvendom among the wolves."

Razor continued to shake, but continued to stand in front of you.

"You must clear their name with your sword."

Fast, you didn't quite understand how the wolf could move so quickly with its large body. Swinging so quickly you could only stare as Razor countered the strikes. Moving out of the way when it's paw came to slash down, the wolf only growled. You made sure to stay out of their way, knowing that it was none of your business to get in the middle of the fight. Not unless something happened to Razor, you wouldn't intervene.

Unfortunately, Razor was quickly swiped to the side with just one swish of the wolf's paw, and the boy's body thudded painfully against the stone wall. It only took a few steps of yours to stand in front of him, and you watched as the wolf lowered in dissatisfaction.

"This is not your battle human."

'I'm aware of that.'

When you didn't answer, the wolf charged at you, fangs baring wildly. You could tell Razor was trying to scramble up behind you, but you held your wooden spear in front of you. As expected, the wolf drove right past it, breaking your defense in half.

'Well didn't expect it to last that long anyway-'

Holding both ends of the sticks against the wolf's mouth, you let out a sigh of relief when you stopped the momentum of its run. You weren't wolf kibble- so that's one thing you did right today.

Holding back the wolf was harder than you'd expect, and even with Razor's arms around your waist securing your position so that you didn't fall back from the wolf's force, you struggled holding the sticks up. Yet as the seconds passed, the wolf seemed to get more and more agitated, putting more and more pressure onto the sticks. They were already split in half, but you didn't think you could hold him back if he crushed them any further.

Things weren't looking good until your hip brushed against Razor's coming in contact with the vision on his side. There was a spark, and the more contact your body had with the purple vision, the more the sparks seemed to light up inside your body. You felt like you were fizzing up, a sense of power overwhelming your senses as your grip on the sticks tightened.

'His vision? Why am I reacting to it this way?'

You couldn't react before blood began to dribble from your lips, eyes widening. You certainly hadn't heard any voices in the breeze, and the wind wasn't whipping past your ears like usual before you'd fall down to cough blood.

'The vision? Is that it?'

Your grip on the sticks was all but gone by the time they clattered to the ground, hands shaking as you stayed on your feet. It wasn't too much blood, and you could already feel the iron taste in your mouth melt away before long. Razor's arms helped you stay up, and you were surprised to see the wolf take a step back, no longer shouldered by an intimidating stance.

"Anemo archon," the wolf said in a low growl. "You have some of its energy trapped inside you human."

'Barbatos?'

You stood stunned, only standing because of Razor's support. Yet the whole ordeal and whatever had happened with the vision seemed to cause disinterest with the wolf and fight, and its huge form lumbered back to the wall. "W-wait!" You called after the wolf, hands shaking from the tension you'd had holding the sticks. "What do you mean? The anemo archon's energy?"

It stopped in its tracks just before the wall, hesitating before turning to you one last time. "I myself do not understand, but archon energy resides within you whether you like it or not. With your current energy imbalance, vision energy reaches to fill the missing energy and join itself with an archon's."

It's gaze flicked back to Razor, eyes narrowing.

"I have nothing else to say, may we meet again, Razor, and company..."

And just like that, the wolf slunk back into the wall, disappearing into the glowing state of the stadium's eyes.

That being said, you could still feel a jittery sensation building up inside of you, probably from the contact you'd had with the vision. Of course you'd never had contact with a vision, and now that you'd thought of it, Albedo had always discussed you never reaching for his geo one. Never having touched a vision with the exception of the electro one today, no wonder you'd gotten that reaction.

'That wolf probably didn't know what it was saying- archon energy? That makes no sense.'

Razor let your waist go, turning to face you fully. He seemed so much more relieved after the wolf had left, and you only sighed when he spotted the blood that had leaked to the side of your mouth. It wasn't even an amount you had to worry about, you wiped it off with the sleeve of your shirt.

Razor didn't ask much to your relief, he probably knew that it had something to do with the disease you'd spoken about earlier.

On the way back to the cave you grabbed the Wolfhook sack, slinging it over your shoulder before turning to Razor. "I've been thinking about it for a while," you said in a soft voice. "But I have to continue with my journey."

He immediately understood what you meant by this, and a sad smile curved its way on his lips. His red eyes didn't look at yours, instead facing ahead as the two of you approached the shelter. "Razor... knows," was all he said as he took a step into the cave. Without having to ask him, he began to stuff your belongings in the big bag you were to carry on your way.

The mood was so depressing, and you had no idea what to say.

Razor was done with finishing up with the bag in only a few minutes, and he passed it into your arms, ignoring the tears beginning to gather around your eyes. Turning around to help sling the handles around your shoulders, you let him tighten the straps, adjusting it so that it would comfortably rest on your back.

Gaining up the courage, you turned back around to face the boy, taking a step towards him before enveloping him in a hug. "I'll come back," you said softly. "When I come back to my family, I'll visit you."

The boy's grip around you tightened, and you didn't speak as he nuzzled his head against your shoulder like he had done every time you comforted him. "Promise?" The boy asked, hands tightening on the fabric on your back. "Promise you come back?"

His voice was so desperate, you only nodded. "I promise, we will be seeing each other soon, I swear."

Content with this answer, he then pulled away, lip trembling. He waved as did you, and you swore for the first time that you saw tears brim at the corners of his eyes. The time you'd both spent together was valuable to him, and providing human company was something he thought he'd never need. But you'd played the role of a comforting figure, someone he could rely on, someone he would remember.

Razor the wolf boy, you'd be sure to remember him along your travels. You'd be sure that if you had any decision in whatever happened in your future, you'd return to the boy one last time before heading back home.

On your way out of Wolvendom, you spotted some of the wolves hidden in the bushes, something you wouldn't have been able to detect earlier. Giving a short wave as if to say goodbye to them as well, you stepped out of the forest of bushes and thick trees.

Hands outstretched in front of you, you prepared for your next adventure, a small smile forming on your face. Clenching your hands to fists, the same sensation when you'd touched the vision came tumbling back, and you swore you saw a lightning like purple hue envelope your hand.

'Nah, it's probably just my imagination.'

Chapter 4: Liyue Beginnings

Summary:

On the road to Liyue! You encounter a special someone but make it to the port without a scratch :) well that is until you jump off a roof hehe

Chapter Text

You had made it to Liyue.

Or rather, the area which wasn't too far from Wolvendom to begin with. Instead of a dirt path, there were wooden logs and bridges to cross. Based off of the map on your hand, you weren't even close to the Port which was your initial location, and you were sure it would probably take you a few days till you even got close. That is unless you started running, but you'd tire out too quickly with the heavy bag on your back.

The landscape around Liyue was different than you'd expected, and with taller mountains and crooked slopes, even the monsters in the area were different. You'd had a few encounters with new monsters, Whopperflowers to be specific.

'Those things bring out the worst in me.'

It had been terrifying to see, digging into the ground just to appear no matter how far you ran. You'd had no option but to climb a tree, huddling on the top and waiting for it to leave. Your spear had broken back with the big wolf, and you didn't plan to beat that flower with your fists. You'd settled with snapping off a branch and stabbing the Whopperflower back into the ground.

'It never came out after that...'

Well it wasn't your only encounter with them, and you'd been seeing dendro slimes as well. Those things were more unsettling than terrifying, and the fact that you could see where they were moving with their big leaves that sprouted from the ground made it a hundred times worse. And when you'd stab the ground in an attempt to kill it, it would never work. You just needed to outrun those things.

That wasn't even the worst of the monsters.

You learned that Treasure Hoarders were their own kind of monster. Running around despite you trying to convince them you had no business stealing whatever they'd earned, it was like they could only listen to the sound of their own voice. Annoying as it was, they weren't nearly as strong as Razor, and you often knocked them out with one swing of whatever stick or plank you found on the ground. They'd go down easily enough, and you'd steal their insignias, hoping that their shining state would earn you some mora once you got to Liyue Port.

'That's right... I gotta take whatever I can find to get Mora once I get to Liyue...'

You'd be searching for a way to rid yourself of this curse, but you were gonna make sure you would be doing it in a life of luxury.

Well, luxury enough that you could find somewhere to sleep without it having to be a tent.

Half the time you'd just find a cavern and sleep there on most nights. With the tent tarp as your mattress, and your blanket to keep you warm. Very few times did a hilichurl actually stumble into your sleeping form and wake you up with their battle cry. On those nights, you'd grab their mask and snap it yourself, or throw them off whatever hill or cliff you were on. You'd come to cherish your beauty sleep, having taken for granted how calm it was when you'd been in Razor's cave.

You wondered what Barbara, Fischl, or Bennett would think of your current state. Taking down treasure hoarders so simply, and defeating Hilichurls while half awake. You were sure they were practicing on their own, and that they were capable of becoming amazing knights or adventurers, whatever they planned to do. Barbara had made it clear she planned to work at the church, but you also knew she had an odd obsession with being a 'idol .' Fischl and Bennett were definitely becoming adventurers, and you wondered if they'd join together to make a team. If you came back early enough, you'd try to join them, maybe even force Barbara to come along.

"Take the bait dammit!"

The evening sun shone on your tired form, swinging around a fishing rod by the lake you had stumbled upon. Well, more like a small pond, you were too scared to get into the deeper lakes around Liyue. There were already so many monsters, you didn't want to discover a new one while being drowned. Besides, it wasn't like you were all too good at swimming.

'Gotta blame Timmy for that one...'

The few times that you did scare off Timmy's pigeons, he'd gone off. Wailing and flailing, a tantrum. Of course there was only the Favonius Guards to witness the scene, and you were pretty sure they found it hilarious too.

That's until he shoved you off the fucking bridge.

You hadn't noticed when he had approached you, and you were too close to the ledge to really stop your fall. All it took was one shove for you to be sent off the bridge, landing in the deep murky waters surrounding Monstadt. You'd never had any experience in the water to know how to swim, and you'd simply flailed around the water, screaming for help. You were pretty sure one of the two knights went to save you, but Kaeya beat them to it. You had no idea where he'd suddenly appeared from, probably on his way back from a quest when he saw the incident. You understood pretty well why the two guards left Kaeya to it, he actually knew how to swim, and well.

'Well again- he's a pirate, probably has tons of experience with it.'

Hauling you out of the water, you'd been sputtering and coughing for a while before you'd regained your breath. Kaeya had probably teased you about the situation because you remember that being the first time you'd found him so annoying. Barbara had freaked out when you came back to Monstadt square all wet and sputtering, and you swore that next time, Timmie would be the one thrown off the bridge.

Well anyways, back to your fishing trials.

You'd gotten one fish, and that was only because you grabbed it out of the water in desperation. Throwing away the fishing rod, you figured that it was useless. That, or you just really sucked at fishing. Either way, the fish had been tasty once cooked over the fire, and you only needed to defeat a few of those bat things flying around before actually getting to enjoy your meal.

But your night ended being a bit more eventful than you'd hoped.

You went to grab some water to help burn out the fire when you encountered a figure. It was getting darker, but there was just enough light to see the details on the silhouette a little while away. At first glance you'd mistake the boy to be a treasure hoarder, but looking closer treasure hoarders always went in groups. Not to mention that his clothing looked rich, you would consider taking it…

'Stealing? Cmon Y/n- you're not that desperate.'

'Or maybe I am, I only steal from the treasure hoarders once they attack me though.'

The boy was tall, even from a distance you could tell he had a towering figure. Orange hair and... a pin on his head? You couldn't tell, it looked shiny though, and very expensive. His clothing looked too small for him, his shirt revealing a little bit of his chest. But the most terrifying thing about the boy was the vision on his hip, and you knew immediately that he was a danger.

'Right after dinner too-'

You tried to slink back into the shadows, creeping back slowly to your cave. There was a patch of trees and bushes to the side, and you would've hid in there if blood didn't start dropping down from your mouth. A part of you felt like puking out the fish you'd eaten while you were at it, but you held it in and reached for one of the trees for support.

'You've hurt all of them.'

'You deserve to hurt too.'

Again, the voice in the breeze whipped past your ears, forcing you to cough more and more blood. You were used to the confusing words, knowing that whatever it was it said never had anything to do with you.

'Still... maybe I massacred too many Hilichurls?'

'Or those slimes... I have to stab them with branches, maybe a bit too violent?'

Hand on the tree, blood continued to spill from your lips, dropping in puddles to the ground. Your crouched form shook, and you began to feel slightly dizzy from the blood loss, and nauseated from the previous meal. Still, you managed to stand up before a voice spoke behind you.

"Coughing blood? Are you that Blood Maiden everyone has been talking about?"

You didn't need to turn around to know that the figure behind you was the same one you'd seen across the pond. A chill ran through your spine at the teasing lighthearted tone, and your grip around the tree tightened. A vision user, you didn't even want to turn around. You didn't have a spear or branch in your hands, and that meant you were nearly completely defenseless. You doubted any hand to hand combat would work on this guy, and so you slowly took a step deeper into the trees.

"None of your business."

But he didn't stop at those words, taking a step forward alongside you. "Ah, defensive are we? I haven't even done anything yet!"

'This guy is so annoying-'

Before he could utter another word, you were sprinting through the trees, not heading for your shelter this time. Going there wouldn't stop the orange haired male, if you stood any chance against him, you'd have to run.

'"Blend in forest."'

You could remember Razor's voice in your ear, showing you certain tactics to hide in your environment. Of course it was easier in Wolvendom with its thick trees and large bushes, but if you had any chance of survival now, this was the only way. The blood had stopped dripping down your cheek, and you were thankful because that meant it wouldn't leave a trail behind you.

You spotted a series of bushes, and knowing that the boy chasing you was just a little farther off from behind you, you swerved away from the bushes. Taking a big step until behind a tree, you grabbed one of the branches, hoisting yourself up to hide behind its trunk. You spotted the boy swerve in the direction you'd turned to, and start to slow down.

'Shoot- he's sharper than I thought.'

From the tree, you hopped down to the patch of bushes you'd seen earlier, making sure not to directly come in contact so it wouldn't make any noise. It worked, and the boy didn't seem to realize how you'd suddenly disappeared. He even went to check the tree you'd hid behind, eyes scanning the area thoroughly. Behind the bushes you got a better look at him, and your cheeks flushed red.

'Oh- he ain't that bad looking.'

Taking a step around the area, you realized that he wasn't going to leave until he found you. It wasn't like this area had many hiding spots to begin with, and he'd find you sooner than later if you stayed still. Too sharp to let you run away, too strong with his vision to face him head on.

You'd have to surprise him in an ambush, hunt him.

Thoughts raced back to Razor at the mention of a hunt, and adrenaline began to race through your body. You were still using his tactics to hunt boars and little foxes, even after you'd left Wolvendom. But would it work with a human? A hot man with a hydro vision?

'Welp, only one way to find out.'

The best way to hunt such prey was to wait until they were hunting something else. Mind so focused on the hunt that they wouldn't realize they were being hunted. But that wasn't the case here, this boy had his senses focused on his surroundings, so nothing you could do would surprise him. Throwing something would be too expected, and even trying to surprise him once in his sight would be too risky.

'So I'm screwed...'

Something moved in the bushes, and you watched in shock as a dendro slime popped up from the ground, turning to you. Bouncing around its leaves and approaching to attack you, your gaze flickered to the orange haired boys. He was now gazing straight at the bushes.

'Oh you little fucker-'

You stared at the dendro slime, hand to your lips as if to signal it to be quiet. You probably had some slime telepathy, cause it stopped bouncing towards you. It was probably the angry aura the boy was beginning to give, but you settled that the dendro slime had already caused you too much trouble, and you shoved it back into the ground.

To your surprise, it began to make its way over to the boy instead of you, and you watched as his eyes fixed on the slime. Watching in terror as a blade suddenly appeared in his hand, you recognized it to be water, and he aimed it down to the slime.

'Now is my chance.'

You scaled up a tree just beside the bushes, launching yourself up with the branches without making much of a sound. The boy didn't seem to notice, too aggravated when the dendro slime disappeared into the ground before he could stab it. But you could tell he was looking for you to make a move, eyes trailing through the bushes again. You looked around for a weapon, knowing that snapping off a branch would be too noisy. But the only thing else that you could really use was a bunch of bird eggs.

'So I'll just throw them at him?'

Grabbing two of them in your hands, you had no idea what the plan was when the dendro slime burst back up, lunging for the boy. He reacted swiftly, one of his blades coming to slice the slime in two. But he wasn't the only one who had lunged for their prey, and eggs in hand, you jumped from the tree.

Soundless, he didn't realize until the moment those eggs were shoved straight into his eyes that you'd been behind him the entire time. By instinct he lashed out behind him, but you'd taken the impact of the jump to slam both hands on his head, hard. So hard that you heard a crack, and you were pretty sure your hand was the one that made the sound from bashing his skull. A pulsing pain jolted through your arm, and you groaned, cradling it against your chest.

"Ouch! Ow ow ow..."

But the boy slumped, and you watched as he fell to his knees, eyes closing unwillingly as his body hit the ground.

"Wait, that worked?"

You'd spoken without thinking, glancing to the slime condensation on the ground. For once, you were actually grateful those dumb dendro slimes existed. Your hand throbbed, and you glanced back down to the orange haired boy who lay unconscious.

"Should I just leave him there or...?"

You ended up taking him.

Dragging him back to your cave, you figured you might as well get answers from him when he woke up. You had washed your face to get rid of blood, and headed back to camp just to tie up the boy's arms. You didn't dare touch his vision, afraid that you'd have an odd reaction like you'd had with Razor's, and that you'd be kept immobile. So with a stick, you pushed the vision away from the boy, refusing to let him have the advantage of water if he woke up. You only had rope to tie his hands together, and you figured that the tight knots would hold him down.

'If not, I can give him another wack.'

'But now I gotta wait till he wakes up... and it's so dark. I should've just left him there.'

But you'd feel too guilty about leaving the poor defenseless boy there, his hot fine body vulnerable to the world.

'Okay those details were not necessary-'

Your face flushed red, burying your head in your hands as you pushed the thoughts away. It wasn't that you hadn't seen various good looking bodies before, you and Barbara had spent a lot of time ogling the knights and their training. Barbara would stare at the muscles peeking from Kaeya's shirt (who wouldn't-?) and you would stare at Diluc's arms every time he was hauling some booze back into the tavern.

"Promise you won't tell anyone?" Barbara had asked, hand to her nose as if to hold back the nosebleed.

"Promise if you do the same."

If Jean found either of you two doing so, you'd both be screwed. As someone who was going to work in a church, Barbara was to be completely innocent, not that she was, you had corrupted her a long time ago. And well... if Albedo ever heard of this from Jean, you would never hear the end of it, knowing your brother, he wouldn't even know what to do with you.

Scanning over the unconscious boy in front of you again, you reached for the mask on the side of his head. Well, in the end he had attacked you, so taking his mask as a souvenir wouldn't hurt right? It really did look expensive, you wondered how much it would sell at Liyue Port.

Getting a better look at him, you noticed the bow and arrow on his side, the intricate design on it, and a few jewels that were embedded on the handle. If the mask wouldn't sell, this certainly would...

'This is what you get for messing with me boy-'

Snatching the bow and arrow, you stuffed it in your big bag along with the mask. Organizing the tarp and putting it in the bag as well, you had it all ready for you to grab and run if ever the moment came by. For now, you just watched the boy expectantly.

'Just at night time too... all that running has made me tired.'

The dark moonlit sky beamed down on your cave and you crossed your arms. A yawn escaped your lips as you jolted up, reminding yourself that sleep was not an option. Yet today had been a long day, and the coughing out blood really pushed past your limits for staying up. Slowly you let the breeze whipping past the cave lull you to sleep, your head rested against the rocky wall.

But the boy on the other side wouldn't stay asleep forever.

Childe sat up, eyes adjusting to the darkness of the cave. His hands came to prop himself up, but he found himself unable to do so, hands tied in a tight rope. Yet it was nothing to keep him locked up, and with a chuckle, he tugged the rope off in one motion.

"You didn't really think this would keep a harbinger still," the boy spoke out loud, knowing your sleeping figure was only a few feet away from him against the wall, "Did you?"

His answer was your slow rhythmic breathing.

He crept closer to you, trying to get a better view of you with the bare light of the moon. Still, the cave hid away any details, just your disheveled h/c hair and messy attire. The boy came to sit beside you, the tip of his lip curving up in amusement. "Being hunted by such a frail figure," he murmured. "With none other than bird eggs, you would've piqued my interest if you were stronger... but I don't think you can put up much of a fight head on."

His hand came to tangle itself in your hair, and he slowly pushed your head onto his shoulder. "Well, it's not like I have much to do either, I'll just wait for you to wake up." His thoughts raced on the topic of the blood he'd seen you coughing earlier, and what he'd heard from the rumors. So many rumors.

It had started with simply the misfortune of a curse, a girl who'd been unlucky enough to cough out blood and cause terrible occurrences for the people around her. Described with flaring h/c hair, and bright e/c eyes. Yet the next thing Childe knew, people were talking about how the girl had beat up a group of Treasure Hoarders in Monstadt and headed out stating that "Anyone could have a go at her."

Somehow he got the impression that the rumors had been exaggerated.

His fingers continued to tread through your hair in a soft manner, and you unconsciously nuzzled your head deeper into his shoulder. He looked around for any weapon that you would use, and he found none except for the large backpack on the side.

Speaking of which, where were 'his' weapons?

He stumbled up almost immediately, having forgotten completely about that. You hadn't posed a threat asleep like that, so he hadn't even considered having his vision or bow and arrow to take you down. But now with the familiar weight gone from his sides, he quickly tracked his eyes around the cave.

But you'd woken up from his jolt upwards, and your eyes lazily strayed to the orange haired boy. It only took you a few seconds to realize that he was untied and that the vicious look on his face was staring down the corners of the cave.

Now that Childe noticed, his 'mask' was missing too.

His face visibly darkened, and you got the impression that it would be best to run and make an escape before he spotted your awake state. But before you settled on any plan, you noticed the hydro vision just beside you, perched on the ground, unnoticed. You snatched it, holding behind you so that he couldn't see it.

An electric like jolt hit you again, but this time you didn't cough blood, just stared into the dark abyss of the boy's eyes as he glanced at you. Grabbing the vision had made too much noise, and with his eyes locked on yours, you were now screwed.

'Hot but hella scary-? Nevermind, I gotta get outta here.'

You jumped up to your feet, taking a step back towards your backpack as the boy approached. He was so close you could feel his breath in your face, leaning down with a demonic look. Basically, he was terrifying.

"*Where the fuck is my mask?*"

'My back pack, but it'll probably sell for a lot, so you're never gonna know-'

One of your hands came to press against his chest, pushing him away. He wouldn't budge obviously, and you began to profusely sweat, fear growing inside the pit of your stomach. An electric like feeling burst inside of you again, and you remembered you were holding the vision again. Instead of dropping it, you focused on intensifying the electric feeling in your veins, your hand clenching up.

And then the orange haired boy when flying.

Well rather, water shot from your hand like a fire hydrant, so intense that the boy was shot back to the edge of the cave, hitting his head hard against the rocks. His body fell to the ground, limp as the water in your hand stopped shortly after.

'Oh shit-'

'Lowkey became water girl there for a sec-'

But you could tell that it hadn't been enough to render the boy unconscious, and grabbing the backpack on the ground, you slung it over your shoulder. Sprinting out of the cave, the darkness of the night made you seethe, and you wondered just how you'd escape the boy.

'Oh- actually I have an idea.'

A terrifying smile made its way on your face, even as the orange haired boy came sprinting through the cave. You turned to him, and even with the moonlight, he could see the smirk on your lips.

'A 'great' idea'.

"Water boy," you called out, holding out his vision up high. "Have fun trying to find this."

And then you threw his hydro vision into the area of water you'd been fishing in earlier.

Of course it wasn't some humongous lake, but it was large and deep enough to encase the vision completely, sinking down to its murky depths. All traces of it were gone, and finding it in the darkness... well, it wouldn't be easy.

Childe was enraged.

You realized it was time to run, and the last glance Childe got from you was your little form scurrying into the mini forest before completely disappearing from his sight.

Normally, the trip to Liyue Port would have taken another day or two.

But you were running, faster than you've ever run, and at a consistent rate. Just thinking of the orange haired boy chasing behind you was enough to accelerate, even with the heavy backpack load.

You had learned to gain speed based on your area from Razor, and it wasn't like you didn't spend half your days in Monstadt running from the Knights on Favonius on the days you caused trouble either. After all, your chaos wasn't excusable, and the group of misfits was often left running after making a ruckus in the marketplace. It was often one of the guards at the front of the gates that usually caught you, and on the bad days, Kaeya or Jean would be on your trail. You really stood no chance then, but you sure made it time consuming to catch you.

***Flashback***

"Barbara! Hurry up!"

Four figures dashed through an empty alleyway, turning the corner and running through an array of houses. The afternoon sun beamed on you, sweat building up on your forehead from all the running you'd done today. It had been early in the morning when you four had gone to the main square of Monstadt, big mischievous smiles on everyone's face except Barbara's. As usual, she tried to persuade the rest of you three to reconsider.

But no, you, Fischl, and Bennett woke up the entirety of Monstadt at five in the morning.

The plan was simple: yell at the top of your lungs until everyone was awake. In the center of the marketplace, you were sure to be heard, the houses on the sides too close to ignore.

Fischl had screamed out her roleplay, something like, "MY HUMBLE RESIDENTS OF MONSTADT-" and some weird shit like that. Probably some royal majestic line out of a book to wake the townsfolk up.

Bennett had yelled out his goals and plans, and you actually found it cute. Lines like, "IM GONNA BECOME THE BEST ADVENTURER IN MONSTADT!" He wasn't one to cause trouble purposely anyway, so you were surprised he even decided to join in the chaotic screams through the town.

And well, you'd impersonated a Rooster.

Now looking back at it, it probably wasn't one of your proudest moments. Squawking around at your highest pitch, and yelling, "COCK-A-DOODLE-DOO!" You really couldn't blame yourself, roosters were well known for waking people up in the morning, and it was better than yelling profanities at the citizens of Monstadt like you would've done otherwise. Probably some chicken slander at Timmie, and something along the lines of "Fuck you Kaeya-" which would've gotten you in even more trouble.

Barbara had stood on the side near the fountain, head buried in her hands as she heard windows clambering open and residents curse out at you three. Fischl only yelled louder, and Bennett had started to hesitate. Of course this had only encouraged you, and you started making more animalistic noises, probably not Rooster anymore. The adrenaline was pumping and everything was going fine.

Until some of the knights had gotten to the scene, and you four had to dip.

You'd spotted Jean among the knights, and knew immediately that you all were screwed. So leading your group into the alleyway, you all ran through the houses, hiding in porches and climbing up decks. You all had enough experience, so it wasn't anything new to hide away.

You'd been at it for hours now, and grabbing the blonde pigtailed girl who lagged behind, you dragged her faster. You could tell Bennett was beginning to get tired, Fischl at the front looking steady. You were at the back, keeping lookout behind you and keeping Barbara in pace with everyone else. Yet you could tell this plan wasn't going to continue to work, and yelling at Bennett and Fischl to stop, you all hid behind a house.

"We have to split up, we are eventually going to get caught."

Barbara nodded, "I'll run back home, if my sister is still chasing you guys, I should be fine..." You knew that the guards would've already checked your house and found a sleeping Klee who probably hadn't woken up from the yells. It probably wasn't a good idea to go back, but you could try to crawl in the window without anyone noticing.

Fischl and Bennett looked unsure, but out of pure bravery the light haired boy gave a thumbs up. "Alright! I think I'll head over to the cathedral area, I doubt they've looked for us there!" Bennett probably couldn't go back home to his two dads, they probably woke up from his screaming too. Same goes for Fischl.

She tried to speak, but you could tell that whatever it was gonna be was too long for her panting state. Shaking her head, she waved her hand as if to dismiss her.

With that, all four of you ran in different directions.

Beauty coincidence that the same road you chose had Jean walking from the opposite direction. Once she caught sight of you though she began to sprint, and you squeaked in surprise before turning to run away. She was obviously faster, even with your jagged turns, the slight space between houses, and jolting up the stairs. You lasted longer than you expected, and feeling her arm hoist you up from the ground, you let yourself relax finally.

'Okay- now I'm screwed.'

The blonde haired girl simply let out a deep sigh, knowing that her lecture would fall on empty ears. Instead she carried you to the building for the Knights of Favonius, heading to the ' quiet room' that she'd leave you in for a while after your chaos. You knew better than to struggle, and once in the building, there was really no way out.

Unfortunately, Kaeya was walking out of the building at relatively the same time. He put a hand to his head at the sight of you, scowl forming on his face, you were sure Jean bore it as well. "Rooster?" He asked in an incredulous voice, "Why in the world did you choose a Rooster?"

At that moment you regretted not choosing to yell the, "Fuck you Kaeya," instead.

****End of Flashback****

You'd finally gotten to Liyue Port.

The sky had turned a mix between orange and yellow, exposing the morning sun as it rose from the mountains. You'd made it to Liyue in a night, that had to be a new record. Gazing down at civilization, you had to hold yourself back from yelling and waking up like you had done in previous years. Old habits die hard, you didn't want to be hated before you even fully arrived though.

'It's really pretty...'

The buildings were built differently, prettier if you had to use a word. The culture and decorations around were completely different as well. The gate looked nicer, and a bit less intimidating than those big walls around Monstadt. Overall, walking through the Main Street of Liyue, you'd already decided that it was better than Monstadt in so many ways. Not only that, but it had more hiding places, and you could already picture yourself jumping around the rooftops with ease. It had been harder to achieve in Monstadt, But with this kind of terrain, you'd be zooming.

'But before anything, I need Mora.'

Traveling around the city, it didn't take you too long to find a merchant on the side. He looked pretty legit, and a lot of the items around him were expensive and fancy looking.

Before heading towards him, you set your large backpack on the side, pulling out the mask and bow and arrow from it. You didn't want to give off too many poor traveler vibes, you were sure your tattered clothing spoke enough.

Hurriedly, you walked over to the merchant, showcasing the items before he based you too long on your clothing. You were sure that on that note, your messy h/c hair and sleep deprived e/c eyes didn't help add to the mix. Maybe it made you look a tad psychotic, but holding items that were probably even more expensive than you, you were sure you'd get a good price for them.

The man hesitatingly took the items to analyze them, a fearful look crossing his face once he glanced at the mask. "Where... where did you get this from?"

'I don't think I should tell him I stole it from water boy-'

"On the ground! It was laying near a place I was camping at."

'Totally believable right?'

The man didn't look convinced, even more suspicious of your state and figure as it was. "On the ground," he repeated, eyebrows raised as he gave the mask another look. "You found this on the ground, you can't be serious."

It was too late for you to take back your lie, so you just nodded.

You were stubborn with that fact, and no matter how much pestering questions he asked, you wouldn't give in. In the end, he settled with simply taking the bow and arrow, and letting you keep the mask because it belonged to 'someone else. ' He also told you that he knew who you had to give it back to, and that you knew about it too.

'This man is strangely savvy-'

In exchange for the bow, he told you that you could either exchange it for another item in his shop, or exchange it for mora. You'd initially been on the hunt for mora, but now getting a good look at his store, you weren't so sure. Souvenirs and ideal items, what really caught your eyes were the weapons. Even better designed than the bow you'd snatched from waterboy, there were spears. Now that you were in Liyue Port, you might as well get a real weapon instead of continuing with sticks and planks.

"We have tons of items that may come in interest," he'd said, leaning over his wooden stand as if that was enough to impress you. "More than what I have here too, young girls like you are often searching for items imbued with positive energy. Keeps the ghosts away." He winked, continuing, "Or negative energy, there's the few that like to take risks."

'Or y'know, neither. There's spears here so-'

'They're so shiny too...'

Sturdy metallic ones, crystals engraved and tips curved in deep blades. Dangerous, that's what spoke out most to you, making your adrenaline pulse at the thought of swinging around one of them. Another chaotic tendency of yours, not that you cared, you couldn't completely rid yourself of your rebellious faze in Monstadt.

"That one," you stated, pointing to the spear on the side. It wasn't as fancy as the others, but the material was more sturdy, the tip sharper with a plastic like holder so that it wouldn't accidentally cut anyone. Once he let you have it to just swing it around in practice, you let out a knowing smile at the fact that it was light, just like you'd expected.

"Spears are hard to use," he began, as if teaching you to use it. "It's not the best weapon to start with, but if you practice hard enough, I'm sure you can master-"

Before he could say anymore, you were spinning it in your hand effortlessly. Slashing at imaginary figures in the air, stabbing down and through like you'd done with Hilichurls and slimes. Finally you had a weapon that felt somewhat like the wooden spear you'd been using in Wolvendom. It had been at least a week since you'd left Razor, almost two months since you'd left Monstadt. Finally a real weapon in your grip, it meant that you'd finally be on your way to make progress.

"You... really know how to use it don't you..."

Chuckling at the man's words, you settled the blunted edge on the ground, eyeing the plastic wrapped around the actual blade in protection until use. "I wouldn't be buying it otherwise," you stated, leaving the bow on his counter. "A fair trade right? I don't need to give any extra mora?"

The man nodded, and you didn't waste any more of your time there.

'Starting my adventure in Liyue Port...'

'I gotta start with finding somewhere to sleep, or someone who will pay for Treasure Hoarder insignias.'

You took a step forward, eyes scanning through the large buildings once again. All new, everything was unknown to your aching sleep deprived eyes. Rubbing at the red pulsing ache on your forehead, you numbly noted that it didn't matter where, just that you needed to find somewhere to sleep. Maybe you could set up your tent only a little farther than Liyue Port.

That was, until 'he' appeared in a swirl of water.

You didn't say this in exaggeration, someone literally appeared in thin air in a big bust of water, splashing you in the process. You would've been more impressed if it wasn't someone you recognized, but the orange hair and blue piercing eyes were all too recognizable. A little bit of too exposing skin, and drenched in water that wasn't from his vision, you figured he had found the blue orb in the middle of the lake.

'That... explains a lot.'

'But teleporting? That's a bit too op-'

His gaze flashed to yours, and you saw the same sleep deprived stare in his eyes. Tired, exhausted, hungry. Probably for your blood, but you weren't planning on sticking around to find out.

'Okay imma dip-'

New spear in hand, your backpack was still a ways away. Good, you didn't need all that extra weight pulling you down as you found out some way to escape the boy. Or better yet, fight him. Even with whatever had happened with his vision earlier, it didn't mean much if you didn't understand just how it worked, or if you didn't have the hydro orb in your hand.

So you did the only thing you could do.

Run.

Hopping up the stairs of the first building, you knew that it would be just as easy to hop on the rooftops. The spear in your hand didn't pose much of a problem, and you found the area much easier to maneuver than Monstadt. The very few times you'd gone rooftop hopping on Monstadt, Albedo had seen you. Safe to say that it didn't go well from there.

You probably would've actually enjoyed it if it wasn't for the orange haired boy racing after you.

"Slowpoke!"

But even if you were running for your dear life, it didn't mean that you didn't have to enjoy the adrenaline feeling pulsing through your veins. The familiar rush of excitement, something that hasn't changed in Monstadt and that definitely wouldn't change here.

You jumped on a taller slanted roof, pulling yourself up with one hand and throwing yourself across half of the space. Water boy from behind you was doing a good job of pressuring you to go faster, but you managed to stay ahead of him for a good while.

Until he freaking teleported again.

'Too op- that ain't even fair.'

He appeared right in front of you, eyeing the spear and mask in your hand. He probably hadn't bothered to negotiate with the merchant about the bow, and you slightly regretted not keeping the mask in your bag. He looked furious, and a slight part of you knew that unless you didn't have a death wish, you should give him the mask.

'But it's just so much more fun...'

'If I keep it~'

"Hand it over," the boy said in a calm voice. He seemed like the type to usually have a joking demeanor, and serious usually meant scary. "Fun and games are over, I don't want to have to hurt you for it."

Rather, he didn't think you would give a good enough fight.

"Already?" You asked with a pout, leaning to the side in idle contemplation. "Well, I for one am fully enjoying this. Pity you don't feel the same."

He paused for a bit, seeming a tad more annoyed by your sly remark.

Okay scratch that, he looks pissed.

"Look, I'm trying to keep my temper in check. So do me a favor and give me the mask."

"Hmm... let me think about it."

You took a step forward, holding the mask outstretched. He reached for it with one hand, a relieved look on his face.

Until you snatched it back.

"Nah, I guess you can take that as a no." You stated with a cackle, spinning the mask as if it was worth nothing in your hand. You were half sure that you were gonna drop it, and that it would enrage the boy even further.

"*Give me the damn mask.*"

'Maybe... I should run?'

Two water blades in hand, you winced at the sudden weapons. It wasn't like you didn't expect him to take you seriously, or get so pissed. But really? You wanted to toy with him more, see how much angrier he could get.

Then he came at full force, one blade reaching for your head, the other your stomach. It was nothing like defending yourself against treasure hoarders and Hilichurls, and you were stuck on the defensive. Barely blocking his attacks, you were getting pushed back towards the ledge of the rooftop.

'This is reminding me of one of those enemies to lovers books-'

'I don't think he'll try to save me if he tips me over the ledge by accident tho-'

'Actually, if he does it, it won't be accidental at all'

"Ah shoot-"

Your spear came to block one of his hits, the other blade coming to your vulnerable shoulder. Before you could think straight, you swung the mask to cover your shoulder, watching as the blade slammed against the mask.

He backed away almost immediately, water boy's face contorted in horror at the thought of any damage taken to the mask. You slowly lifted it from your shoulder, giving it a good look over before giving him a thumbs up. "Oh! Don't worry about it, doesn't even have a scratch." You came to observe it further, taking a few steps back once you noticed his terrifying glare. "A nice mask you got here- you could probably even use it as a mini shield!"

That only seemed to enrage him further.

Your foot was against the ledge, and you knew that one step back and you'd be tumbling down to some random road of Liyue. You and waterboy were on a high roof, and normally you'd reconsider what to do before making any reckless decisions.

'But nah- I've been good for the majority of the time since Monstadt.'

You slipped the mask on, peering at the boy through it. It was a big mask, but it was comfortable enough, and you could easily see everything through it. With a smirk that he couldn't see, you weaved your fingers through your h/c hair. "Does the mask look good on me? I think I'm beginning to like it quite a lot."

The orange haired boy grinded his teeth, hands around his water blades clenching as he took a step forward. You really stood no chance against him, not with the combat experience you knew so far. As much as you hated to admit it, this was a fight you had to back away from now.

You leaned back, letting the wind rush through your hair as gravity pulled you under. The satisfaction of seeing his shocked face was enough to leave you smiling as your body fell down the roof of Liyue. The morning sun finally hit you in full swing, reminding you that you'd been up all night and morning running from the boy.

'I've decided I like Liyue-'

The wind crashed against your descending form, arms limp as your eyes closed.

'Apart from the curse, I suppose I can spare the time to do more business here.'

The ground was close, oh so close to the paved tiles and rough landing.

'But if I'm sure of anything.'

Your body flipped, arms pulling the momentum of your body all around. Almost gracefully like, your feet landed on the pavement crouched position as you took it in the brute of the impact.

'Is that I'm gonna make my stay here fully chaotic and enjoyable.'

Chapter 5: Trouble Trio Unleashed

Summary:

Buy books, make friends, cause chaos :) you're finally feeling at home in Liyue!

Chapter Text

Life in Liyue Port wasn't nearly as difficult as you'd thought.

For one, you didn't have to look behind you every corner to spot the orange haired water boy that haunted your thoughts. You didn't even understand how you'd gotten away from him to begin with, although it wasn't something you'd ponder too much.

However the one problem was that no one held any interest in the treasure hoarders insignias you'd stolen. 'No one. ' You'd even tried bringing it back to the merchants, to people who could use its material to wield and create, no one paid any mind. You weren't sure if it was because you weren't too convincing in your 'I'm a lost traveler' attire, or if they genuinely didn't want the insignias. Either way, no mora meant you had to tent out of Liyue, scavenge for berries and food, and kill hilichurls half asleep.

'At this rate, I'll be killing them in my sleep.'

Not that you were complaining, killing them with your new spear took almost no effort at all. It was sharp, almost too sharp compared to the wooden branches you used to stab the slimes with. Nothing outside posed much of a threat, but you'd heard stories of bigger geovishaps and shuddered at the thought. You could manage against those little beasts, but anything bigger would squash you.

But you weren't on your way to look for them, your trips to Liyue Port always consisted of doing commissions and such for the townsfolk around. You'd scout out the area for the first few days, getting used to the people there and asking them around for anyone who may know about curses. The people they suggested were unknown to you, and the only person you stumbled with who said they knew about such curses...

'Perfume lady.'

'Perverted perfume lady.'

You hadn't even begun to talk about your curse before she requested to make a perfume for well... 'relaxing .' You were perfectly fine, maybe it was your dirty ragged clothing that made you look like you were in such a terrible state. But other than your sleep deprived eyes (you wouldn't be tired if the (goddamn hilichurls stopped entering your tent- ) you were fine.

But either way, she had dragged you to her store, making you sniff each 'perfume' and making dirty comments in the background. You'd ran out when she touched your shoulder, tracing her finger down to your elbow.

'Fuck no, I'm never getting close to that store again.'

You'd gotten better clothing after that, having done commissions to gain mora from the people around Liyue. From defeating hilichurls to sending love letters, you were surprised how everyone put their trust in you. Maybe it was because of your wide e/c eyes still taking in the sights, and your soothing words that made you look so trustworthy.

'Oh but if they only saw the chaos I created in Monstadt-'

'I'll try to spare my reputation here for now.'

You'd only had the mora to purchase brown trousers and a light tight blue shirt. You were tempted to buy flip flops or crocs, but you knew you wouldn't be able to run in either of those things. So settling with boots that had a slight heel to make you look taller, you now looked slightly better, and more like a Liyue person. Of course you had managed to tame your h/c hair to some extent, washing it in a river nearby and letting it dry. It was better than its dirty mud filled state earlier.

'Now I look like a normal person-'

Saving up mora, it hadn't been hard, but staying anywhere for cheap wasn't an option either. You'd tried the food in Wangshu restaurant more than once, and you wished you could bring some of the concoctions to Klee or Bennett. Klee would certainly like it, you could just imagine her giant smile as she took big bites of it, nearly choking on it. While Bennett would definitely gobble it down, realizing only a second later that it was spicy, and running around screaming for water.

'Ugh, stop thinking about them, I'm only making myself sad.'

Today, you were on your way to ask people about anyone who may know about curses. You swore that if anyone else mentioned a perfume lady, you'd sock them. No one should enter that store unless they are fully prepared to get in bed with that perverted lady.

This time you brought around waterboy's mask, hoping that someone would see it in your hand and offer a grand price for it. A hefty sum that would get you out of that ragged tent and into some type of lodge so you could spend your time here in luxury. Because otherwise the commissions weren't gonna take you anywhere, and there weren't nearly enough for rent.

'But now I'm lost...'

You'd been climbing a set of stairs, again exploring the area and meeting new people. But the building in front of you was foreign, and quickly asking the girl who appeared to be a shopkeeper in front of you where you were, she quickly responded with a smile.

"Bookstore, welcome to Liyue's bookstore. Might I interest you with any of our popular novels?"

You stifled a laugh, wondering if any of the books she might own would actually interest you. You'd been a big reader as a young kid, even now with all the chaos you'd caused in Monstadt. But your taste in books was... rather defined.

'Faeries? Reincarnation? 2nd lead syndromes?'

'Most likely not, my taste is too refined.'

"I'll have a look around," you simply offered, smiling back. "I will be sure to let you know if I find anything to my liking."

'When did I become this polite-'

You headed to the shelves of books on the other side, noting that there was another male checking the books out. His eyes were big and sparkling as he stared at the titles, sliding them in and out of the wooden book shelves. He was lost in the movement, not noticing your stare nor your presence. It wasn't his appearance that kept you staring, even though you could tell the fancy golden hems of his dress coat and the little blue orbs on his sides screamed 'rich .' If you submitted to your self indulgence, you'd have snatched one of the blue orbs, not his vision of course, but he could probably manage without an ornament draped on his body.

'Bad Y/n- stealing is a no no.'

It was then that he did notice your persistent staring, eyes slowly rising from the books lazily to rest on your figure. He perked up, much more tentative when he resumed his focus on something other than the bookshelves. "Can I help you with something?" He asked slowly, hand still resting on the top of a book.

"Oh- no sorry," you began, racking your head for a plausible excuse as to why you'd been staring. Of course there were none, and you left the awkward silence dry out, tension building the longer he waited for your response.

'Okay shoot what do I say-'

'This is so awkward I just wanna disappear...'

His eyes then slowly trailed down your figure, from your fairly clean trousers to the tight bright shirt that rested on your shoulders. You were sure you didn't look that bad, but of course in comparison to him, you really could tell the difference in Mora. But then his eyes snapped to the mask in your hand, with a pearl like orb located in the middle. You automatically stood straight, maybe something good could come out of this awkward interaction. If you could sell the mask-

"Where did you get that."

It wasn't a question, his voice came out so firm it sounded like a 'demand .' You wouldn't be able to tell he was curious about anything if basing it off of his tone, rigid shoulders and eyes centered on it completely and utterly. It was the type of concentration that scared you shitless, the type of concentration that reminded you of Albedo. A shiver ran down your spine, as if cold fingers trailed down your shoulder to your waist. Slow, gliding down your back and freezing you in place.

But now was not the time to stiffen and freeze, it was the first ounce of interest you'd received on the mask, and you'd be damned if you didn't take advantage of it. "Where I got it...?" You asked weakly, trying to process the question. You'd told the merchant you'd found it on the ground, but the stare the boy in front of you was giving you told you straight out that an excuse like that wouldn't work.

So you were honest.

'For once-'

"I stole it off of a guy," you began, hands making their way to brush a strand of your h/c hair. You combed your fingers through your roots, holding up the mask in the other hand as you continued. "To clarify, he attacked me first, I was just repaying the favor."

Again, the boy eyed you up and down, narrowing on the spear on your back. He didn't look too convinced, "Do you know who that mask belongs to?" He asked much slower, making sure that you could hear every word and the concern laced with it.

'Water boy? Now that I think of it- this guy has a hydro vision too-'

'Oh shoot, is it a clan of hydro users? I'm so screwed-'

"No...?"

The boy put a hand to his head, shaking his head in disapproval. "A harbinger," he said again slowly. "That mask belongs to a harbinger, I'm sure you've heard of the Fatui."

'Fa... tui? '

You'd heard of them countless times, mainly from Albedo and Lisa. You'd been keen on learning at a young age, so you'd gone several times to the library in search of information and something to squelch your curiosity. You'd gotten close to Lisa around this time, and she often told stories of her adventures outside. They weren't half as good as the ones in the books, but you listened to her just to satisfy her. She'd spoken about the Fatui a lot, their organization and just how dangerous they were. About the Tsaritsa and the Harbingers, their delusions and power.

'I'm... Im so lucky that guy didn't consider me a threat.'

You'd known the orange haired boy hadn't been taking you seriously, even around the end that you escaped with his mask. He was holding back, hardly using his hydro vision. You'd heard of Harbinger Delusions, now knowing that you were lucky to escape alive.

"Oh," was all that escaped from your mouth, and you stared at the boy in shock. The fact that the mask you were holding belonged to a Fatui Harbinger changed everything, no wonder no one had interest in it. You shouldn't have taken interest in it, should've left it with him. But after jumping off the rooftop, you hadn't had the chance to see him again, otherwise you'd give the mask back without hesitation.

'I'm not sure if I'll be able to sleep in my tent comfortably anymore-'

The blue haired boy was waiting patiently, eyes still staring at your wide e/c orbs as you struggled to process the situation. Awkward, the familiar tension was present, and you spoke out without thinking. "What... what was his name?" You coughed out, realizing just how unnecessary the question was. It didn't matter what his name was, it wasn't like yelling out his name to apologize would change the anger at your possession of the mask.

"Well," the blue haired boy's demeanor changed completely. One hand to his chin, he glanced to the side in contemplation before turning back to you. "From what I recall, his Harbinger name is Tartaglia, you don't want to associate with him in that state. But otherwise... he's known as Childe around Lisha, he often visits."

'Often visits?'

'Aw shit-'

But you nodded, draining in the information with the focus you often lacked, enough so you'd be sure to remember these details. You were keenly aware of the sore ankles pressing down on your boots, definitely from staying standing for so long these past few days. "Thank you," was all you said to him, still lost in thought.

"Oh- don't worry about it, I would've felt responsible if I hadn't confirmed that fact with you either way. Although... I am rather curious as to how you took possession from such a powerful figure, may I ask about it?"

'Well- it's probably not as exciting as he thinks-'

"Ask away," you stated with a forced smile.

To sum it up, you regretted that.

To say he was curious was an understatement, the boy couldn't keep but asking more and more, pestering to a point that you had to physically ask him to stop. However you found it slightly comforting to see that he was more than the intimidating figure you'd first met. His eyes were bright and wide with interest, the same stare he'd had when looking through the books. You'd asked him about that too, turns out he was a major bookworm, not that you were really surprised.

' I have my preferences too...'

You'd ended up shamelessly admitting your taste in books, and to your surprise he wasn't the slightest shocked. Simply happy with the fact that you liked reading, he had easily found a few books that fit your criteria. You'd bought it with the last remaining mora you'd saved from commissions, regretting it the minute you'd given it to the bookstore keeper...

'Oh well, now I'll have something to keep me up, not just the noisy Hilichurls.'

The boy's name was Xingqiu, part of the Guhua Clan. You hadn't recognized the name until he mentioned he was also part of the Feiyun Commerce Guild. For someone in such a position, he seemed a little bit more carefree than you'd expected. Sure the way he spoke was polite, but he didn't keep his face stoic like or resting in a bitch face. He expressed himself freely, especially on the topic of books, you found it cute.

"There's a friend I'm sure you'd get along with," he brought up as the two of you walked through the main roads of Liyue. He had been showing you the stores and shops you'd missed, and a simple tour at your request. "But if you easily fear the thought of ghosts or exorcists, it may be better if you don't meet."

'Ghosts...? Exorcists?'

"No...?" You stated softly, coming out more as a question. "I mean- I do believe in ghosts, but I don't fear them. And exorcists? Those things exist?"

'This reminds me of the times Barbara, Fischl, Bennett, and I went ghost hunting...'

The thought sent your lips curving up into a smile.

*****Flashback*****

"I swear it was a ghost!"

It was Bennett who yelled these words, hands flailing furiously as he tried to grasp everyone else's attention. The evident trembling in his lips was enough to make you focus on what he was saying, tears threatening to spill from his lashes.

Fischl was automatically interested, leaning forwards as a finger trailed through her hair absentmindedly. "The reaped souls that mourn vengeance and pain, graves empty and soulless, the tombstones call to fill them once again. As the guardian angels that loom over Monstadt in protection, it is our duty to hear the sepulcher's cries."

'And just like always- I hardly understood any of that.'

"Can we go check it out?" You asked with a wide grin at the thought of encountering a vengeance filled soul. "Where did you see it?"

Barbara shook her head almost immediately, taking a step back and putting her hands up reflexively. "G-ghosts?" She was doing an effort not to lean against the street wall, the alleyway seeming to get smaller by the second. "Ghosts don't... they don't exist."

'Poor Barbara- she sounds so sure too.'

"Then there shouldn't be a problem with it, if they don't exist right?"

Just behind the Good Hunter, the sun's rays still drifted into the smaller street you were all on. An alleyway that gave you enough visibility not to be considered dangerous. This was the only alleyway to be specific that you could drag Barbara in without her going to Jean and tattling. Bennett didn't really enjoy the dark either, although Fischl relished in it, liking the atmosphere aura it gave off. You hadn't quite understood what she had said that time.

"R-right," Barbara said in reply, really not sounding that sure.

That's how your big group began marching after Bennett, you could tell he liked being at the front and leading. It wasn't like you were always the one leading everyone to destruction either, you all had your turns. Fischl would take you on mini adventures revolving around her role play she always consisted on keeping up, Bennett would lead if he found something, which somehow, he always did. You would lead if it came to anything reckless and dangerous, and well, anything that came to mind. Barbara would very rarely lead, and if she did, it was because one of you was hurt. Somehow she turned into a completely different person when injury was part of the problem, that was something you admired her for.

To your surprise, you all ended up at one of the tall windmills overlooking Monstadt. Now that you thought about it, it had to be the one place in your small town that didn't look so clean. No wonder there was a ghost here, the only problem was going to see it. You had no way of entering inside without a key, and you couldn't pick lock it like usual because it was one of the ones from the Favonius Knights. You'd been fully capable of pick locking with a Bobby pin when it came to any of your brother's things, but the official Favonius Knight locks were on a different level.

"I saw it around here, but I'm pretty sure it floated up."

You all glanced up to the broken wooden stairs that escalated up the building. It wasn't fair to call them stairs really, half of them were torn off, mainly from the bottom. You were almost sure that either the Adventurers guild or the Knights of Favonius had something to do with it. Probably for the protection of the children and so that they wouldn't go climbing up and falling off at the top.

'But it just makes it harder-'

You grabbed one of the wooden planks, slipping your foot into a crack and propping yourself up. From behind you, Barbara gaped, hand reaching to pull you down. Bennett was also staring in shock, but he didn't move to stop you as you lifted yourself up a few more planks.

Fischl stopped Barbara from pulling you from the shirt, a firm stare. "Your warnings will amount to nothing upon empty ears, trust comes with easier facility than resistance."

"So..." Bennett drawled absentmindedly as he watched your figure creep up farther up the windmill. "You're telling us to just... watch and trust in her?"

"You've apprehended my intentions with uncommon accuracy, I commend you for your efforts."

This time, no one made a move to stop you as you rose further up into the windmill, finding cracks and crevices to slip your hand and feet into. Of course the occasional groan of the wooden planks as you rose up was concerning to some degree, but the curiosity of seeing a 'ghost' , yes, a real ghost, overpowered that.

"You're almost there!"

Your hand finally grasped the beginning of the wooden stairs, grabbing onto the edge as if it was your lifeline. With your other hand, you grabbed the other side, propelling yourself up on your side. You scrambled up to a stand, walking a few steps without hearing a creak underneath you and letting out a sigh of relief.

'Finally !'

You looked down from the windmill, waving to your friends at the bottom. Their faces of excitement slowly morphed to ones of terror, and you watched in confusion as they clenched their mouths and widened their eyes.

'Uh oh...'

' Behind you, ' you saw Fischl's mouth without any of her role play statements. 'There's something behind you.'

You weren't one to wait, but you could feel a presence behind you, looming 'over' you. Normally you would've spun around to face whatever it was, but a voice inside your head screamed at you not to turn. Everything in your body froze, and all you could do was stand there, watching your friends' reactions. You shouldn't move, you probably underestimated the significance of a ghost, and you were going to pay the price for it if you turned.

'Ah screw it.'

You spun around, facing the ever fading figure with certainty. It was a human, it took on the form of someone who would walk around Monstadt and bask in the sun. A young man, you had no doubt he had gone to the tavern, surrounded by the loud chatter and the clattering of glass against wood. A normal resident of Monstadt.

This was definitely a ghost.

He seemed almost transparent, foreign as if he didn't belong here at all. You could see the colors behind him, as if you could reach a hand and it would go straight through him. You were sure it would, but you hadn't really considered it as an option, eyes wide and slightly petrified.

"You should be careful," he said with a soft voice. "It's really high up, you shouldn't have climbed up here either. You could fall."

Frankly, you weren't taking any of his words into consideration as you took a step back, your back fully against the rail that blocked you from a dangerous fall. You weren't afraid of him, rather, you didn't want to call it that. A part of you was more surprised that ghosts 'were' real, you could finally prove that to Barbara for starters- the other part of you wanted to just get off of that windmill, before you wanted to find out whether he could make contact with you.

"You're... you're a ghost."

The man's face seemed to sink, his expression morphing into something of longing as he stared down. "I do suppose so... all I remember is falling off of here by accident." His hand came to rest on his forehead, you could tell him it hurt to say these words. "I don't... remember how long ago it was. Everyone I've tried to talk to just runs."

The shock slowly turned into pity, and you no longer leaned against the railing so desperately. You took a step forward, racking your mind for words of comfort. Albedo wasn't a good example because all he could offer was hugs, and you couldn't hug this man. Klee was just plain optimistic, and you doubted that would cheer him up either. "Well I'm talking to you," you began, tilting your head to the side. "I can hear you out, usually souls stay in this world cause they have unfinished business."

This however seemed to light him up, and you could now see hope shimmer in his dim eyes. "I would... appreciate that. Thank you for sticking around." With that he continued, one hand coming to rub his neck. "You see, the entire reason I came up here was to get a picture for my wife. She's always wanted a picture of Monstadt from this view, we used to come up here as kids when the bridge wasn't ruined..." his face turned even more sorrowful. "I was able to get the picture, but the minute I started to descend, I fell."

'Pictures... very few people have Kamera's.'

Of course you've heard of them before, seen them from Merchants from Liyue who've come to sell them. With a nod, you crept up the wooden stairs, "I'm guessing it's still here on the top?" You questioned, not waiting for his response to walk higher up. It wouldn't be too surprising if it was here for a while, a 'long' while. No one came here, the wooden splinters said as much. Maybe once or twice to repair any problems inside, but you had no doubt no one had been on these stairs in years.

'It does have a beautiful view...'

You could hear voices from below, not recognizing them as any of your friends that you left down there. A shudder ran down your spine when you recognized your brother's voice out of the flurry of conversation. Albedo and... Lisa? The two had a tendency to talk about the books they'd read, so you wouldn't doubt them being together at this time of day.

'Shoot- gotta find the Kamera though.'

The man nodded to your question, and you went higher and higher till you saw what he was talking about. There was the Kamera, although it was old, much older than the ones you'd seen. Maybe it had been a long time since the man had died, you went to grab the machinery, holding it up and finding the dusty picture on the bottom. The quality was terrible compared to the ones that you'd seen these days, but the man had taken the photo at a beautiful shot, a great angle. You could tell he put effort in taking the photo, and a sad smile filled your face as you turned to him.

"What's her name?"

His eyes widened at the question, and the same gentle sad smile filled his face. "Amelie," was all he said. "Blonde hair, brown eyes. She would never cut her hair, she works at General Goods."

You stared at him for a little longer before clenching the Kamera and photo to your chest. "And your name...?"

"John."

Standing tall, you stared into his eyes, offering the most comforting smile you could muster. His eyes were tearful as he gazed at the photo, a punch to your stomach. "Well John," you said in a soft tone, "I will deliver this photo and Kamera to your wife Amelie, you can count on me."

If his eyes had been tearful, he was now crying, tears leaking from his dim form. "Thank you," he said with a shudder, his shoulders trembling slightly. You could slowly see his form grow more and more transparent, blending into the background until he was no longer there. "Thank you."

"Y/n!"

A voice from below called your name, and you automatically recognized Lisa's voice. It was frantic, and you cautiously peeked over the wooden railing to see her and Albedo standing just below. Barbara, Bennett, and Fischl all looked uncomfortable, and you were sure they had done their best to avoid telling them you were on top.

"Hey!" You said with a happy smile, still clenching the Kamera and photo tightly to your chest. You couldn't offer a wave, but you were sure you would've done so if you didn't have things in your hands. "Long time no see!"

Lisa let out an amused chuckle, but you could tell she was slightly concerned. Albedo was just frowning, and you could tell immediately that he did not approve one bit. "Just wait," he said, "I'll get the key from the Knights of Favonius to get up there. Don't do anything risky," he flashed you a serious stare. "I'm serious."

'Key...? That will take too long.'

"You can catch me!" You yelled down, leaning against the wooden railing more. "Lisa can too, I trust you both!"

"As admirable as that is, I think it would be a smarter choice to wait for the key," Lisa replied, stopping half sentence.

You now stood on top of the railing.

Albedo had caught you on taller buildings than this, and Lisa was equally capable. You knew it was selfish to cause them such worry, but you didn't want to wait any longer on the stairs. They had broken underneath the man long ago, and you couldn't take your chances.

'Please forgive me for this, but I don't wanna fall through the wooden stairs-'

Albedo automatically rushed over to your figure as you stood on the railway, flashing your signature mischievous smile. And then you dropped, letting your body fall to the ground when certain that your brother could catch you.

'I can eventually learn to land these types of falls too-'

Your brother caught you with ease, brows furrowed in annoyance, but not surprise. Pulling off stunts like these weren't uncommon, and you giggled as he set you down, checking you up and down for injuries.

"A Kamera?" Lisa asked from behind him, not appearing shocked by the fall either. Barbara seemed to be the only one miffed by your stunt, even though you'd done worse, much worse.

"Personal mission," you clarified, a small smile on your face. "I gotta get this to a woman called Amelie."

*****End of Flashback*****

To keep it simple, the two of you had decided to meet up tomorrow, the evening sun breaching back into the crevices of the mountains. Shadows crossing behind buildings, lanterns strung upon lampposts glinting to lead a route through the main road.

Liyue Port looked completely different in the meantime.

You didn't know an exact word to describe it, only that you relished in its calamity. The darkness soothed you, cocooning you in its furrow of unknown variables and shadows that grappled at your hair. You held no fear for the monsters that might lurk, only the subtle rise in adrenaline whenever you caught a glimpse of movement. You waited, waited for a danger to pull you into a dangerous dance of blades and blood. Heart thrumming and eyes wide, you could only hope that whatever it was proved to be more of a challenge than a hilichurl.

'I know it's a bad mindset to grow into.'

'But the adrenaline... it isn't the fight that I like oh so much.'

But alas, nothing grasped your limp hand at your side as you walked through the darker roads of Liyue. You were left to your own thoughts as you exited the Port and entered the flat lands and soft slopes of Lisha. You didn't have to walk too far to reach your tent, perched underneath a tree in effort to hide away from the rain.

That tent had gone through a lot with you, but you didn't want to put it under the strain of rain or too much wind. Worried that the exposure would be all it took to finally take it down.

'But even after all it's been through-'

'I can't help but look forward till I can get rid of the damn thing.'

'And live a life in luxury~'

Your standards had certainly dropped down, cause a life of luxury seemed more like having a roof over your head. You'd had plenty of that in Monstadt, but you realized now just how much you'd taken it for granted.

'I took everyone there for granted too.'

Your family, the presence of your brother and sister. Klee's optimistic cheering in the morning, gobbling down breakfast and following you around. Albedo's soothing words and voice, even if he wasn't always around. Your friends, your group of misfits, the simple worries of what you'd do to surprise the townsfolk. Not like the ones you had now, of whether you'd be able to eat tomorrow, whether you'd find a cure to your curse, or whether you encountered a person who'd be the death of you. Of course this fear came with its own adrenaline, and you knew it was necessary to continue on your adventure.

'I need to find the cure of my curse.'

You had the tendency to forget it, even though you'd asked several people. The idea of voyaging seemed much more enjoyable in your bright e/c orbs.

On cue, blood dribbled down your lips.

You felt the iron taste make itself up your throat before you could swallow, spilling past your lips for only a split moment. Suppressing a cough, the red liquid mattered the grass with a darker shade in the dim light.

' I hate you,' was what you heard in the breeze this time. ' I hate you so much.'

´The feeling is mutual stupid bitch-'

You wiped at your mouth, the metallic taste stopping as soon as it came. You swallowed to rid yourself of the taste, wiping at the corners of your lips to make sure there wasn't any more of it on your face. The amounts always differed, and you were grateful that it had been long since you'd coughed so much like you'd done on the day you'd left Monstadt.

Looking up however, the blood was the least of your worries.

Your tent was surrounded by a crowd of people, and you were shocked that you only noticed it now. Leather jackets and strange hats, even in the dim light you could spot the shining insignias. Brighter than those of the Treasure Hoarders, imbued with actual color and pretty curved edges. You stopped yourself from considering how much people would pay for those ones, knowing that you should be preparing for a fight instead.

'Fatui.'

You couldn't spot the orange haired boy anywhere, but you weren't planning to let your guard down. You'd seen Fatui around these parts, but they were reasonable enough not to ever cross your way, and you were smart enough never to cross their's.

'I have important items in that tent though...'

Childe, you were pretty sure that was the harbingers name. You dropped his mask into the grass, letting it hide in the tall hedges of a bush as you took a step forward. Childe would have appeared himself with those Fatui if he planned to be here, from your encounter you could tell as much. Whatever these people wanted had nothing to do with your encounter with the orange haired fellow. Either that or you were just desperately searching for ways to prove it so.

"What business do you have here."

Your voice came out cold, hand reaching to your back to grab the spear resting there. A threat, a warning sign. You could only hope they'd take it seriously enough to leave.

"We should be asking you that," a gruff male voice echoed in response.

'While standing in front of 'my' tent?'

'Like I know it's raggedy and crusty- but it's still mine!'

Your stride was slow, every step cushioned by the grassy earth and soft leaves. You could sense the unease of the Fatui with each of your steps, and you relished in the amount of power you felt when standing in front of them. "What business I have here?" You answered coldly, coming out as a mocking question. If you were going to scare them away, intimidation didn't stand as such a bad idea. "You are standing in front of my tent, I think my question takes priority."

"Y-your tent...?"

You watched as the one with the big ass ice gun stood forth, subtly noticing the shaking in his hands. Whether it was from the gun in his hand and how cold it was, (which you doubted, he had gloves for a reason), or because apparently the owner of the tent scared him so much, you couldn't tell.

It was only when you heard the whispers from the Fatui at the back that you understood their fear.

'Blood Maiden.'

"We've been hearing from merchants of Liyue that someone has been asking for a cure from a curse. Sounding, well... exceptionally similar to that of the rumours of the Blood Maiden."

'Beauty, I didn't even say that much about it.'

My next step drove them back, and when I didn't say anything against the claims they froze. The Blood Maiden, the heart of the rumors spreading around Teyvat right in front of them. You would've felt rather proud for being the talk of so many people, but if it really drove you to situations like these, it wasn't really worth it at all.

"Yes, Blood Maiden," you clarified, voice stern. Any worries for these Fatui dissipated the moment you saw them shaking. "Got a problem with that? Maybe you're looking for bad luck yourself, want to end up like those Treasure Hoarders in Monstadt~?" You twirled the spear in your hand, noticing the paw faces of the men in front of you as you did so. Seems like bringing up what happened in Monstadt worked, if the rumors spread well enough, it was bound to be exaggerated.

'I barely even touched a hair on the guys face-'

The Fatui who had come to do who knows what, probably take you down to get bragging rights about finishing off the, 'Blood Maiden.' Either way, the looks they were giving now told you that they realized that they stood no chance, or that they were scared shitless. You weren't too sure whether you'd be able to take them down or not, but if they did challenge you, you wouldn't simply let them do as they please.

To your relief they backed away.

"You w-watch your back-" one of them said, traversing backwards with one finger pointed in your direction. "We will come back, n-next time we will take you down for sure!"

'Oh dear...'

You weren't quite sure what you'd done to earn their hatred, or to scare them away so badly. It reminded you of the Treasure Hoarders in Monstadt, how they were so quick to point fingers at you for whatever misfortune crossed their lives. Pathetic, utterly pathetic.

You watched as their figures disappeared in the darkness, far away enough that you noticed they'd started running. Grabbing the Harbinger mask you left on the side, you walked back to the large tree. They wouldn't be coming back tonight, and with that thought in mind, you slipped in your tent. They hadn't dared enter to mess with your things, just a few items and bags of Treasure Hoarder insignias. On the edge there was a picture of your family and friends back in Monstadt, you put it in your bag, making sure that it would be there in the morning. Taking one of the books you'd bought at the Liyue bookstore, you flipped to the first page, a yawn resting on your lips.

You didn't sleep that night.

"You look exhausted."

Liyue was busy like always, loads of people slipping in and out of shops. The hustle and bustle reminded you of Monstadt, except that it was a bit busier and livelier here. Bennett would've loved this, running around and stumbling across displayed products, gaining hell from the shopkeepers. You had a tendency to drag him away from their hurtful words or spiteful remarks. But Liyue just had a different air about it.

"I'm aware," you stated back when your hand came to rub at your eyelids. You hadn't been able to get any sleep last night, and your sleep deprived stare probably didn't add to your looks. "I finished those two books I bought at the bookstore though, they were actually pretty good."

'Well... it was a friends to lovers trope.'

'Enemies to lovers reigns superior for a book.'

However the dark blue haired male widened his eyes, clasping both your limp hands in his. Both you and Xingqiu were waiting for his friend on the Ports, sitting on the ledge of the docks. Your feet swung up and down as you waited for whoever it was, slightly curious because of Xingqiu's excited antics. He was convinced you and whoever this friend was would get along perfectly, and you could only hope so. You really did need more friends.

"Both books? In one night? Oh my goodness... oh my gosh, wow- you really do enjoy literature."

You only smiled at his cute reaction, resisting the urge to pinch his cheeks like you'd do with Klee when she'd have an adorable face like him.

"Xingqiu?"

Meeting the eyes of the stranger that seemed to appear in front of the two of you, you stared in his frozen ice blue orbs. His hair and eyes matched, and his white blue hued attire told you immediately that he had wonderful style. Either that, or someone knew colour coding, as well as how to make someone look... well, aesthetically pleasing.

'Cute .'

"Chongyun," the dark blue haired boy replied, a smile crossing his lips as he steadied himself up. "This is the acquaintance I had the fortune of meeting yesterday," he gestured to you with one hand. "Meet Y/n."

Chongyun turned to you, eyes narrowing, but he never said anything. Just extended his hand out to shake yours as Xingqiu waited patiently. "Nice to meet you Y/n," he stated politely.

"It's nice to finally meet you as well Chongyun-!"

You tried adding a little bit of excitement into your voice to clear away the unnecessary tension between the two of you. Shaking his hand, he seemed even more rigid as he eyed you up and down. You made sure not to bring the Harbinger mask this time, and were unsure if perhaps you'd somehow offended him without knowing.

'Knowing me- I probably did.'

'Not only am I oblivious to Liyue culture and traditions, I just suck at human interaction-'

Thank the archons for Xingqiu's optimistic mood today, because he dragged you both on a walk, serving as someone to fill the awkward silence with idle chatter. It was through him that you got more information on Chongyun, learning that he really was an 'exorcist .'

'Exorcism? So cool-!'

You'd been the one to take over the conversation after that, bombarding the poor boy with questions about his occupation.

"So like- 'how' do you do it though?"

The three of you had ended up at Wangmin, seated on patio on the side. Both you and Xingqiu had ordered, Chongyun simply stating that he didn't prefer Wangmins taste in food that much. You learned soon after that it was because of the amount of spice it actually held. Too spicy for him, you found it strange that an exorcist would really care on such a small detail like that.

Even with a plate full of food in front of you, the only reason why you leaned forwards in your seat was to get in more depths about your questions. You hadnt even considered stopping, not seeing a sliver of hesitation nor seeing him uncomfortable in any way. In fact, he spoke reflexively, answers known and if you didnt know better, you'd say he enjoyed talking about it in such a proud voice.

But no matter how much you spoke to him, the tension still lingered.

It was only when Xingqiu got up from his seat and told the two of you that he was going to give our empty dishes back that you realized what it was.

As soon as he left, it was Chongyun who leaned over the table, more interested than he'd been this entire time. "Your energy," he clarified, voice stern and stiff. There was a reason why he'd only begun to bring this around when Xingqiu was gone, and it was your first time seeing the look on his face. No matter how close you got to him, you had to keep in mind that he was still a vision user, a dangerous one by the look of the claymore on his back. "Your energy is different, more..." he searched for the word, speaking it when Xingqiu made it back to the table. "Pure."

"Pure?"

It was your turn to tense up, and you faintly remembered the words of the Wolf you'd met with Razor. He had said something similar, something you'd been dismissing for a long time. The whole ordeal with visions, Barbatos, the gods divine energy...

The lie was ready on your lips, simple enough.

'I dont want to lie.'

These were your first and only relations in Liyue, you'd been here for a month doing commissions for loads of people and still, they were the 'first .' You couldnt look a gift horse in the mouth, both Xingqiu and Chongyun had approached you on their own accord, the least you could do was be truthful.

"Divine energy." you breathed in response, eyeing Chongyun curiously as he processed your answer. He waited patiently, and you knew those two words werent enough to nearly explain it. "Well rather, do you know the rumors of the Blood Maiden?"

'Please dont make me regret this-'

'But they seem reasonable, I think...'

"Yes," the blue haired exorcist responded, finally seeming into the conversation. Xingqiu who had returned to the table nodded, sitting beside him.

"Well," you started with a chuckle, "For starters. its not just rumors." You pointed to yourself, "Cause I'm well..."

Xingqiu who was across from you slipped a finger to your lips, stopping you from saying the next words. "Someone might hear," he whispered, taking his hand back once you noticed. You could still feel the heat from his fingertips against your lips, and you held back the urge to flush red.

But still, you could see the shock from the two boy's faces, registering your words. To your surprise, they were taking it seriously, probably because Chongyun really had sensed a difference in your energy levels.

"Divine energy...?" The exorcist repeated, "Isn't it a curse?"

You shuffled in your seat, hands reaching to scratch the rim of your bowl, only noticing a second after that Xingqiu had taken them back. "I thought so too, I heard from someone else that the abnormal curse levels are a result of archon energy though..." They seemed even more confused. "But my sources might be wrong! The entire reason I came to Liyue was to look for a cure..."

'I would've gone to Sumeru, but its too far.'

'And Albedo's map only has Liyue Port in it so-'

This clarification seemed to answer a lot of Xingqiu's questions, and even Chongyun seemed to be piecing things together.

"Well if its any comfort, we have a pharmacy in Liyue, not that it would be much help to archon energy levels..." Xingqiu thought about it, "But theres so many people around Liyue, not to mention the Adepti, I'm sure theres someone with ties to them that can help."

"I've never once heard of a human having Archon energy or divine energy for that matter, other than the Adepti or the god themselves." Chongyun took a deep breath in, eyeing you directly, "But you've seemed honest, and I can tell you're a good person. Its my job to protect Liyue citizens from evil sources, but your curse seems top be a peculiar case... I'll do my best to aid you."

'Telling them the truth was a good idea, I'm glad I trusted for once.'

"Pharmacy?" You asked Xingqiu, suddenly firmly intrigued on the place. In all your time, no one had mentioned a pharmacy. You werent quite sure if it would actually lead to anything, but any medical facility could have a slight chance of knowing what was going on. You'd never heard about the Adepti, so that was just another personal mission to add to the list.

"Yes, if you're interested I can show you later on."

You smiled at the suggestion, turning back to Chongyun. "I would appreciate it, thank you." Perfect, the first clue that could probably get you somewhere. About time considering it's been a month, you subtly wished you'd met the two earlier. "But now back to our earlier topic- why do you always seem so sad when I'm asking about your exorcism duties?"

'Rather- I don't want to be talking about me anymore, I already revealed enough today.'

'And plus- he does look lowkey sad when I bring up ghosts and stuff.'

Even Xingqiu stiffened at the subject, and you almost regretted asking before Chongyun sighed. "You revealed a lot about yourself today," he stated, "Its only fair if I do the same. Trust is a mutual agreement."

'He has such strong values- I can already admire him for that.'

"So the reason why I've still had yet to actually exorcise any evil spirits... is because of my excessive amount of positive energy, it drives them away before I can exorcise them."

'He has yet to exorcise an evil spirit?'

'That must be hard as an exorcist...'

You nodded, looking him over once again. Despite that fact, from what you've heard from him and Xingqiu, he did his best to accept any commissions, and often even declined payment, it made sense why. "But you're still helping people," you responded. "Whether you're actually exorcising it or not, you work hard enough to bring relief to those who seek you."

That seemed to perk him up.

The rest of the day was spent walking around Liyue, again getting more of a tour from Xingqiu and talking with Chongyun about his job and your curse. It had only been your second day with Xingqiu and first with Chongyun, but both were people you wanted to keep close through your time in Liyue.

"Are you both busy tomorrow?" Chongyun asked, grabbing a popcicle out of his back pack, he'd already explained his problem with the heat and any type of warmth.

"I doubt it, if not, I'll try my best to clear my schedule."

"Dont worry! I'm practically free all day, I just gotta finish some commissions first."

In the end, Chongyun left as you walked Xingqiu home. He lived in a big residence on the side, and you neared as the two of you spoke about your day today. As you approached his house, he turned to you, waving and making you promise to meet him here tomorrow.

"Oh," he quipped sheepishly. "I forgot to ask about it today cause you looked like you didnt want to continue on the topic, but I'm very curious about your curse. Not with any malicious intentions of course, but me and Chongyun were being serious about helping you."

A smile itched at your mouth, and you waved him a goodbye. "Thank you, we can discuss it more tomorrow, make sure to get some rest, dont stay up reading books all night!"

He laughed in response, walking up the steps to his house.

'Hypocritical considering I'm not going to be getting sleep tonight.'

A sigh slipped past your mouth at the thought of your jumbled tent, all packed up with your heavy backpack in a hidden corner of Liyue Port. The Fatui had sworn to come back, so you'd have to find somewhere else to sleep tonight.

"A ghost!"

Whether it was a hallucination from your fatigued sleep deprived mind, or if there was actually a ghost, you weren't for sure. All you knew was that the girl walking down one of the alleyways of Liyue was poking at a transparent blob that seemed to float around.

'I could swear on my life that it's a ghost-'

Xingqiu who was beside you buried his nose deeper into the book he was reading, your desperate cries numb to his ears. You were sure he wasn't even half done the book yesterday, so he probably pulled an all nighter like you despite your warning.

Whether your thought process was on some serious crack, or because you genuinely thought that whatever this odd spirit was doing made it an evil spirit, you came up with a plan. This poor girl was probably being tormented by such fierce opponent, and Chongyun was just the one for exorcising, he would finally be able to exorcise a spirit! He could do it from a afar right?

You kept a mental note in your head of the girl and her appearance, and the two of you made your way to where Chongyun resided in. Like Xingqiu, it was a nice house, a bit smaller and thin, but it stretched up to the familiar Liyue roofs. You knocked on the door, not surprised when the dark blue haired beside you didn't look up from his book.

"Chongyun! Chongyun!"

Eventually the door opened, revealing the light blue haired boy in the entrance. He stared at your jumping form, eyebrows raised when you tugged at his hand. Your sleep deprived eyes didn't match with your high energy levels, and begrudgingly he stepped out of the doorway, closing the door behind him.

"Why hello Chongyun," Xingqiu greeted like I you hadn't been screaming it for the past minute. "I would've suggested we go to the docs, but it seems Miss Y/n has something different in mind."

"A ghost! I swear I saw an evil spirit following a girl around!"

This caught both of their attention, eyes locked on yours as you lead them back to where you'd seen the girl. No words were spoken during the walk, and even Xingqiu had his eyes searching the area around him with his book by his side. Chongyun had to be the one that looked most excited, following close behind you as you crossed the alleyway where you had spotted her.

"I swear she was right here-"

The dark alleyway was empty, and you stumbled into it, hand on the wall to catch your fall if you tripped. Your eyes scanned further, Chongyun on your trail. Xingqiu however took a deep breath in, pulling out his book. He'd probably realized that it was most likely this 'ghost' was a result of your fatigued state.

However you continued until you reached a railing that peered over the town square of Liyue. Looking down, you eyed the people that happily chattered on their way across the bridge, looking for the familiar mat of brown hair. The girl had two matching pigtails, short enough to be considered a child... but she had this type of mischevious aura around her. Not the type that attracted your chaotic tendencies, more so one that warned you to stay away.

'But she lowkey looks adorable-'

With that in mind, you searched the area for a cute brunette, spotting her skipping along the croud. People stayed away so it was an easy catch, and you could dimly spot the ghost by her side, trailing beside her as she touched its tail. You couldn't see her face, but you were sure it had to be filled with contempt and horror at the begin spirit following her around.

"There! That white blob, it's a spirit!"

Chongyun leaned over the ledge, hands on the rims as he tightened his grip. You could tell he spotted it when his eyes widened, gaze never leaving the transparent figure. You weren't sure whether it was his first time, or perhaps he'd seen a spirit before, but he seemed shocked either way.

"Doesn't necessarily signify that it's an evil spirit," Xingqiu stated from behind you both. "And that's the Funeral Parlour Manager, not much of a surprise that she's coming in contact with spirits."

Frankly, you and Chongyun were blocking him out.

"An evil spirit!" The light blue haired boy began with excitement, clearing his throat after. "I mean, an evil spirit, I will do whatever in my power to vanquish the source of evil-"

"Chongyun- dont ignore me on this, we both know..."

But before the young exorcist could process any of Xingqiu's, you were dragging him through the streets of Liyue. Since you both were on the high parlour, you could dimly track her form above without causing much suspicion. "Cmon! Let's hurry up," you encouraged Chongyun behind you who easily met your pace. "We need to find a way to exorcise the evil spirit!"

Meeting your passion on the topic, you watched as Chongyun pulled out a popsicle from his pocket. It was hot today, the sun beaming down as usual, but if the two of you planned to track the evil spirit down, you'd have to do it in the sun. Not the best for Chongyun, but it was what it was.

The small girl that walked through Liyue Port never sped up, and Chongyun put a hand to his chin as he thought. "My pure energy keeps the evil spirits away, if only there's was an object or place that we could lure the evil spirit into... somewhere that repelled my energy to some extent."

'Or something that was equally as strong as his pure energy? Just negatively?'

"It would cancel it out," you told him, dimly seeing Xingqiu trail after you both with a sigh. He again buried his head into his book, not bothering to let you both know that this was an entire misunderstanding anyway.

"Problem is, where'd we find something like that?"

You dwindled the thought in your mind, negative energy strong enough to repel Chongyun's positive energy. There was a reason why you'd brought it up, heard the idea from somewhere else a while ago. You just couldn't think 'where .'

"Just give it up you both," the dark blue haired boy said behind you. "It's better to-"

"I got it!"

Your voice rang louder than Xingqiu's, and both people from the street and Chongyun turned to listen instead. "A merchant," you simply said. "When I just got to Liyue, there was a merchant that told me about these items imbued with energy, positive and negative! Maybe it's enough to completely block out Chongyuns pure energy entirely!"

"Is that so...?" Xingqiu began dryly, still seeming to persists against the exorcism of the spirit.

"Chongyun, follow me! Xingqiu, make sure to keep an eye on the evil spirit in case it decides to haunt someone other than the poor girl!"

"Oh dear... it seems I really can't persuade you both otherwise. Go go then, I won't let the spirit out of my sight, as long as it stays in the peripheral of my book that is-"

Not bothering to stray on his words too long, you tugged Chongyun by the wrist again, the two of you racing in the other direction. You hadn't come to the merchants little shop after what happened with the mask and Childe, and another part of you sulked at having to come again. What if the orange harbinger by chance was there? You were sure Chongyun would help out, but would that really be enough?

Luckily, when the two of you made it to the merchants little store, you were glad to see that for starters, the orange haired harbinger wasnt there, and second, the man didnt seem to be selling the pretty bow anymore.

"This is it!"

The merchant caught you and Chongyun staring, and it didnt take him too long to recognize your face. You werent sure what exactly you were expecting, but the angry look that shrewed his face was not it. Hands tightening to fists, you got the wry impression he very well didnt want you there.

"Stay away!" You heard him yell, "Dont come any closer!"

'Aw jeez- what now.'

You put your hands up as if he was afraid of you being a threat, "I didnt come here to stir any trouble sir..."

"Too late for that," he snarled, and Chongun beside you stiffened. "Your pretty little boyfriend came here to grab the bow you sold to me, threatened my life over the mask I didnt accept from you!"

'Well firstly- water boy aint my boyfriend.'

'And second... he looks so scared, better if I dont talk to him anymore.'

You turned to the light blue haired beside you, shrugging. "You're alright making the purchase by yourself right? I have a feeling the old man has some weird voodoo shit for me if I come any closer." It wasnt exactly a lie, the merchant had a whole stall of secrets and weapons, with the glare he was shooting your direction, it would be better to keep your distance.

The young exorcist just nodded, and you watched as he slowly made his way to the little shop. The vendor seemed hesitant at first, but Chongyun had this sort of charm that drew people in, and the innocent look on his face probably passed the merchant's standards.

You watched until the merchant passed him an object and then cast you once last glare. Chongyun exchanged with a bit of Mora, and walking back to you, you figured that at the least as long as you stayed and kept your distance from the merchant everything would be fine.

G otta blame hydro boy for causing the problem tho-

Chongyun held a weird sculpture thing, and a proud look adorned his face as he waved it around on the walk back to you. His smile had seemed to ease up, and you'd never seen him look so lax. Could the item really be the real deal?

Either way, mission accomplished.

"Hu Tao."

You ignored the name that spilled out of Xingqiu's mouth again, focused on the bright blue haired boy practically bouncing next to you. Bunched in his arms was the statue that he'd bought from the merchant, and resting on his face was the biggest smile you'd ever seen on him.

Chongyun also ignored Xingqiu.

To the bookworms credit, he'd been quite persistent on convincing Chongyun that the whole ghost thing was a fluke, repeating the name 'Hu Tao ' as if it would explain the ghost haunting the poor girl.

It's okay now though, we'll save her.

Perched on a roof, the three of you stared down over the main streets of Liyue. According to Xingqiu who had been tracking the girl being haunted by the ghost while you and Chongyun went to buy the negative energy item, she would be walking through here soon enough.

The plan was simple.

You'd jump down and stop the girl in her tracks, a distraction. You could probably take a fall and get her to focus on helping you, all the while Chongyun hops down from behind to get the ghost. Xingqiu was in charge of keeping the evil spirit from escaping, and Chongyun let him borrow an item engulfed in pure energy. To keep it simple, he'd basically be running around with a pure item to keep the spirit in Chongyuns range. And you'd keep the girl busy so she wouldn't have to witness or stay in its presence for any longer.

Beauty plan.

There were many holes to it, but that's only cause you didn't come up with it-

"Chongyun... are you really going through with this? How many more times do I have to repeat that the girl is Hu Tao. Hu Tao . You know who she is."

Neither you Chongyun had enough time to focus to his words, and the girl entered your line of sight, the evil spirit close behind her. It squirmed around, floating dangerously close to her face.

You sprung into action.

Letting your body fall, it only took a few seconds till your feet landed on the ground. But instead of pulling yourself up to a stand, you let your fall collapse underneath you, letting out a wretched gasp and dramatically putting a hand to your chest.

The girl was stunned.

You noticed Chongyun dropping down, Xingqiu already down with his eyes focused on the evil spirit.

The girl smiled at your crumpled form, head tilting to the side almost quizzically. "Don't tell me I'll have to bury another body, it's almost closing hours too..."

Huh?

But in a second, the evil spirit fled, sprinting past your form and away from the girl. Chongyun behind her seemed to have begun some ritual like move, half in the way of chanting something before the spirit escaped. Shocked, he glanced down at the statue like item in his hand, and let out a deep sigh.

"Seems not even an object imbued with negative energy can repel my pure energy..."

But before you could even process what had just taken place, the girl furrowed her hat deeper against her head, now staring at your bright open eyes. "Shame, you've all helped me lose my client." Her eyes scanned further ahead, and she rubbed her head absentmindedly. "Nothing I can't track of course, but your exorcism sham proves to be invaluable as always Chongyun."

The light blue haired boy stared at her wide eyed, uttering the name, "Hu Tao..."

Am I the only one who doesn't know her?

Xingqiu rubbed his head, book folded in his hand. "About time you noticed..."

Sitting up, you stared at the three of them. "Wait... so that wasn't an evil spirit? You weren't being haunted or anything?"

"Not at all," the girl drawled, flashing you a glare. "My name is Hu Tao, director of the Wangshin Funeral Parlour, in other words, that spirit you mistook as an evil figure was none other than my client." She clicked her tongue, but seemed to relax. "I appreciate the worry, but I wasn't in any danger." She seemed more interested in you when she leaned over your sitting form, the same amused smile flashing once again. "Anyways, what's your name? I don't think I've seen you before."

"Ah.. Y/n."

Her eyes seemed to brighten, "Oh? The one asking about curses in Liyue? I've heard quite a bit of you lately..."

Wait what-

"Don't worry though," she shook her hand as if to calm you down. "I have my sources, it's not common knowledge that we have an adventurer looking into that."

Good-

She stood straight, eyeing both Chongyun and Xingqiu. "Fancy seeing you both again, it shouldn't be too much to ask you not to drag me into trouble is it? I expect not, you should be keeping in mind that I will be the one to dispose of your bodies in the future~" when she turned to you, her eyes softened slightly. "As for you, I'd offer some assistance on your search for info on curses, but I usually require payment or service in advance, not to mention I have a client on the loose-

You sat there, still shocked by the turn of events.

When no one answered any further, She strode past you. "It's custom to say 'see you soon', but I hope not to encounter any of you for a long good while..." She flashed you all a big grin before stating one last thing and running off. "Unless it's work related of course, I don't turn away any clients!"

And just like that, she was gone.

Your gaze flickered to Xingqiu and Chongyun, both who seemed tired after the whole ordeal. You stood up, dusting off your knees and drawing in a long sigh. You'd all basically spent your entire day tracking down a funeral director and making her loose her client.

"That negative energy imbued object only lasted a few minutes," Chongyun complained absentmindedly, so bluntly you'd never heard him speak like that. "I want to go home and rest."

Me too...

But technically, after those asshole Fatui came around, I don't really have a home.

"Come to my place," Xingqiu offered to his friend who staggered. "I still kept that stash of popsicles in the cooler for you." When he gave you a glance, you swear your heart skipped a beat. "You too Y/n, it's hot out today, I have a ton of books to read too if you find yourself bored."

You'd never heard of a better idea.

Chapter 6: The Birth of a Legend

Summary:

A chapter in which you make new friends and enemies, grow stronger, and earn a new anonymous title. Even as infamous as it is, at least it's not 'Blood Maiden.'

Been a while since I've updated sorry! Hope everyone's doing alright 3 3 school's starting again on my end so things will get busy. But I'm almost done the next chapter so I'm hoping that'll be up soon! Hope you enjoy the chapter :))

Chapter Text

"Nice to meet you, Xiangling."

"Same goes for you Y/n!"

As per Xingqiu's suggestion, you now found yourself facing the petite girl. After having gotten to know Chongyun and Xingqiu much better, they recommended that you travel with their friend Xiangling after your complaint on making food. Of course you knew how to cook, but Xingqiu had bribed you easily with the promise that if you were to go on an expedition with the reknown chef, you'd learn much more recipes.

So here you were.

'All I have to do is help her pick out some herbs, and in return she'll teach me a few recipes.'

A small smile crossed your face at the thought of returning to Monstadt with countless recipes ingrained in your head. Appeasing Klee with some random spicy meal, and maybe packing a few lunches for Albedo on his expeditions to Dragonspine.

'As long as its worth it...'

Xiangling seemed like a nice enough girl, happily bouncing from location to place. Her wide curious eyes reminded you of Klee, but her uncaring reckless behaviour was something you could relate to a little too much.

In conclusion, you were sure the two of you would be able to get along perfectly.

In fact, she helped you pack a light enough backpack and provided you with resources you hadn't even begun to consider with your low shortage of mora. You'd thanked her graciously and promised to pay her back, but Xiangling had stated that as a helper you didnt owe her anything.

'Makes me feel like a freeloader-'

'Not that I'm complaining.'

You'd explored Lisha to its very corners, doing commissions that extended to the villages up in the north, and occasionally coming very close to the borders of Monstadt. The temptation to return back always came, a sensation deeply rooted in your chest that would consume you if you let it. But you knew better, you needed this curse to go away, or there would always be a target on your back.

'And I need to learn to protect myself and my family.'

Your thoughts strayed to the hydro Tartaglia boy you'd come across. If that was someone who was curious about your curse, or had bad intentions, just how powerful did you have to be? He had been going easy on you, and you'd still been forced to pull some dangerous moves in order to get away. Even if you'd been practicing with your new weapon nonstop, and were defeating monsters from left to right, you weren't sure it was enough.

'I want to know about my connection with visions...'

Maybe that was the missing piece you needed in order to defeat powerful opponents, or maybe you were just ignoring the fact that perfecting your form in normal attacks would be fine on its own.

'I managed to beat those big geovishaps... so thats a win for me .'

'Although I'm nowhere close to beating that huge one under the mountain... just seeing it from afar gives me the creeps.'

"Y/n," a voice spoke from behind you, jerking you away from your thoughts and bringing your attention back to the bright eyed girl. "Are you alright? I don't think you quite heard what I said..."

Instantly feeling terrible for not paying attention, you waved your arms around frantically. "Oh! Ah... yeah, I guess I've been all over the place these past few weeks, my mind's somewhere else half the time. What was it you said?"

"Just about the terrain, it's going to start getting steep from here," she motioned to the rocky path that led up high into the mountains. Not steep enough to climb, but enough to feel it burning your calves. "Might encounter a few monsters too, so make sure to keep your guard up alright?" She flashed you a cheery smile to which you returned, and then her face slightly dropped. "Oh... and about things being all over the place, you can talk to me if you need Y/n!"

'Xiangling...'

'Jeez... we've only known each other for a day yet I swear I would tell you everything-'

With a nod, you thanked her, walking alongside her on the trail. The two of you spoke for hours, about her time at Wangmin restaurant, your adventures in Liyue, and the majority of it being food.

'She knows everything...'

'And when I say everything, I mean ''everything''.'

Every name of every herb and plant existent, even in Monstadt which you were surprised she knew about. Every edible animal and how to cut them up just right. You figured it would've been better if you could take notes, there were too many small details.

'Oh well... at the very least I know I can eat the random ass plants I find.'

"You... can eat this?" You asked skeptically as you stood in the middle of a pond. Your trouser hems were rolled up to your knees, and you were wading through the water to find the supposed 'Lotus Heads' Xiangling needed for today's meal. You didn't mind getting wet... but the green weird looking thing didn't really look... appetizing.

"Yep, just pluck it out of the ground!"

With a hesitant sigh, you grabbed the stem with both hands, squeezing tight before pulling with all your might. The issue was that you pulled far too hard, and the green plant sprung out at you, the rest of the momentum sending you back.

'Into the pond.'

You thrashed around before realizing it wasn't deep enough to drown you, you just needed to stand up. Clothing wet, and dignity all in tatters, you stood up to face Xiangling.

It was painfully obviously she was trying not to laugh.

"Here," you replied in a grumbled voice, pouting but not enough to look angry. Being wet would be uncomfortable, but.. well it was your fault.

"I'm sorry Y/n... but we are going to need a lot more than just one."

You slowly came to stare at the weird ass plant, and then back at Xiangling. With a very slow deep breath in and out, eyeing her warily. "This better be the best dish I've ever had," you warned.

She didn't even flinch when she grinned back, "Oh it will, trust me."

It was fucking good.

More than fucking good, whatever was in your plate was a goddamn 'masterpiece .' Whatever Xiangling had done was godly, because the disgusting musty crusty lotus things you'd ripped one by one from the lake tasted like heaven. You gobbled the entire dish down, looking for seconds almost immediately much to Xiangling's amusement.

"Are you gonna doubt my cooking skills again-?" She asked with a teasing smile, grinning ear to ear when you wolfed down another spoon of it and shook your head wildly.

It continued like that for a while, days passed, and the two of you would go scavenging for new ingredients. It was often you putting your life in danger to get them, but compared to the final dish, it was nothing.

'There are so many weird ass plants in Liyue though-'

You'd mentioned to Xiangling that along with all your stuff, you had a big bag of Wolfhook, and absolutely nothing to do with it. This had caught her attention and she was immediately interested in it. She'd seen it of course, she knew every damn plant in all of Teyvat- maybe that was a bit of an exaggeration, but it certainly seemed like it. She promised that in exchange for the bag of Wolfhook, she'd teach you her style of the spear.

'Finally actual lessons on how to use the stick-'

It wasn't like you had no idea, frankly you'd spent the past few months cutting slimes in half and stabbing hilichurls a few too many times. At this rate you were gonna start to develop feelings for the mindless monsters that always went for you.

'Theres the occasional few who won't attack.'

'We just vibe.'

You'd surprisingly had dinner with a slime or two jumping around, pyro ones that snuck close to the fire, and hydro ones who'd bounce into the river with you. If you could, you'd keep a pet slime, but you didn't even know how to feed it…

'I can hardly take care of myself… last thing I need is a pet.'

Nevertheless, you'd had several moments where you'd grabbed the slime and walked back to camp. That is before you realized what you were doing and let it go.

"You're surprisingly capable with your polearm," Xiangling commented when you'd taken down a mitachurl with ease. "You aren't using a technique I know of, but you seem oddly experienced in battle."

"Hm?" Was your only reply as you knocked another hilichurl over. "Thats what its called? Polearm?" You'd genuinely thought it just to be called a spear. Polearm sounded fancy.

"Yep…. you've still got a lot to learn…"

The two of you fell into a comforting pattern of lessons, food, and sleep. There were far more monsters on your journey through the mountains and prairies, and you were starting to see new or old monsters you'd seen on your way to Liyue. Ones like Whopperflowers (which you hadn't missed, those fuckers could go back in the ground for all you cared), and the odd flying bugs. They did a lot more damage than you would think, and Xiangling would make you slash them with precision.

"First lesson," she'd stated one day, holding her polearm up. "Is grasp, how you hold it in general and when you're dodging." She adjusted your grip on the stick, teaching you to move with it. "If you face someone who knows what they're doing, first thing they'll do is knock it out of your hands."

You simply nodded in idle amazement and listened.

If not practicing the use of your weapon, you were helping her cook or get ingredients. She'd somehow begun the process of ingraining the names of all the herbs and ingredients in your head one by one.

"Whats that one called?"

"Jueyun Chili."

Before you knew it, you'd fully emersed yourself in becoming Xiangling's apprentice. Both in cooking and fighting, and when it came to hunting she always let you handle it. Razor's lessons had really paid off, and you could easily blend in and take down any small creature that crossed your path. With the exception of those mora badger like rats, but they dug holes in seconds, that aint fair.

"Second lesson," she'd begun a week after the first. "Is the flow of your movements. You've got your grip dialled down, and your technique for striking works just fine the way it is. You just have a bad habit of stopping or losing momentum in moments where you don't need to."

Cue in your first gymnastic lessons.

Or well, something like that. The way Xiangling could twirl in the air to avoid and strike wasn't normal, and you were pretty sure you lacked both the physicality for it, and the flexibility.

'I cant jump that high….?'

But either way, you trained hard. Taking Xiangling's tips to heart and making your own pace and patterns with time. Even if it was hard to adjust at first, you could tell it was worth it in the long run, and that slowly, your technique was growing more stable.

But nothing nice ever stayed that way for too long.

"You did this to me!"

You were both eating dinner when the breeze slipped past you, a shrill scream brushing past your ears in the sickeningly familiar way you'd gotten used to. It didn't take long until you hunched over the bowl of food, hacking out blood in heaps of coughs. It was a long one too, the biggest one you'd had since Monstadt and the entire incident.

"Y/n!"

Xiangling had rushed over immediately, supporting your shoulders as you sagged and shook. She stood beside you through the entirety of it, hand on your back rubbing soothing circles. She stood until you were down, panting and leaning against her for support.

She didn't ask about it.

Just helped you to the nearby lake, sitting you down and washing off the blood. Stripping you and giving you another pair of clothing after, she took care of you. Her usual carefree smile was replaced with worry as she carried you back to the tent.

She didnt ask about it until the morning after.

"Y/n…" she seemed hesitant with her words when you'd gotten out of the warm covers of your blanket. The two of you sat around a fire, cooking breakfast in silence until she spoke. "If you don't mind, I want to know about what happened yesterday…"

'She deserves to know.'

You could hardly recount what had happened last night, everything a blur from the amount of blood loss. You had no strength after all the training, and could only remember the feeling of Xiangling's hands carrying you and holding you tight against her.

It had been a few weeks since you'd left Liyue Port, and your time with Xiangling has been precious as much as it had been educational. You enjoyed being with her, even if she was intense with her training and even more intense with her cooking.

'She deserves to know…'

With a deep sigh, you rubbed your forehead, thinking where to even start. But she looked patiently at you, not angry, not unsettled. Your story would be well heard, that was enough encouragement to start your tale.

"The reason I came to Liyue wasnt for adventure…" you began, telling her how your intentions were instead about a curse. When you went into detail about the blood coughing, she flinched. And when you bring up the topic of the Blood Maiden, you pause to see her reaction.

"Blood Maiden," she repeated, hand on her chin as she thought about it. There was no hatred that shone on her face, no distaste at the name. "I haven't heard of it before despite my travels, but Y/n…" She looked you dead in the eyes. "Even if I had, those are just rumours. You are a wonderful person, I would never base someone off of things I've heard, especially not something so broad. You aren't the cause of people's problems, people who believe that are desperate for excuses and a way to shift the blame on someone they dont know."

'Xiangling…'

The way she spoke… her kind words reminded you so much of Barbara. At the thought of the blonde haired girl, you felt tears burn at your eyes, swelling at the familiarity and just how badly you missed the blonde haired girl. How you missed everyone, friends, family, even stinky ass Kaeya or stupid Timmie with his pigeons.

She saw your tears well up, and you saw the panic rise up on her face. "Y/n?" She asked in a worried face as she approached. Her hands were out, but wide and limp because she didn't know how to comfort you. Hell, she didn't even know what she did. "Y/n?" She repeated when the tears slid down your cheeks.

"Thank you," you whispered. Soft enough that your voice wouldn't crack with the tears, you leaned into her arms. Your arms around her, her arms slowly encircled you. You felt so safe, so protected. Xiangling felt like home, Barbara's words, Klee's spirit, Albedo's hugs. She reminded you of what you didn't have, of what you were working so hard for. The reason you bashed every hilichurl, the reason you desperately tried so much to get stronger and find a cure to your curse.

Xiangling felt like home.

You pushed away the guilty pang at your chest, letting yourself indulge with her a little longer. You'd be home soon, you just needed a little bit more time to figure everything out. Your curse, your strength.

'Wait for me Monstadt.'

You buried yourself deeper into Xiangling, your cries growing into sobs.

'Just a little bit longer.'

**Flashback**

"A promise?"

You watched as your brothers eyebrows narrowed in confusion, staring at both you and your sister. Propped on the living room couch, both you and Klee sat comfortably on the cushions. You wanted to grin your usual smile, laugh and nudge Klee to begin your speech. Like you usually would.

Instead you just nodded. "A promise," you repeated.

Klee looked grim.

Albedo stared hard, and you figured the mechanisms in his mind were working at whatever you were keeping from him. You knew your solom stare was not usual, nor was Klee's sad demeanour.

"It's because…" Klee finally spoke, looking down at her hands as she fidgeted with her fingers. "B-because Albedo is always gone to the cold mountains… b-because Klee and Y/n always gets super worried!" Tears filled the bright blue eyes of hers, and she kept staring down intently as if it would hide the fact. "We get scared… s-scared Albedo won't come back!"

You nodded, pushing back the wave of tears that wanted to overcome you at hearing Klee's cracked voice.

Your brother finally got it, and you watched as he too looked saddened. "You want me to promise to come back…?" He asked slowly.

You curled your fists into the fabric of your trousers.

"'Always,'" you spoke firm. "I want you to promise me and Klee that no matter what, you'll come back." Your voice threatened to break, but you used to the pain of clenching your hands so hard to continue. "That your… your priority won't be your experiments! That even if your whole lab comes crashing down…" you bowed your head down, not wanting him to see your tears. "That you'll come back to us. We are your number one… please."

It went silent.

Too silent, both you and Klee having your heads down. Tears streaming down your face, hands trying to hide it. Klee let out a sniffle, her little body trembling even as she tried to hide it. She didn't want Albedo to see her sad, she knew it would only make him sad too.

You eventually looked from your lashes to Albedo, a sickening feeling in your stomach blooming when he didn't answer. Did he really value his experiments more than you? Were you and Klee not his first priority?

"Onii-chan?"

It was Klee who spoke, and you watched with trembling lips at Albedo. Your cool and calculative brother, the one who knew everything, the one who could hug you and tell you everything would be alright. The one who could make you believe it.

Albedo was crying.

You could tell, his hands came to cover his face. Both hands gripping his hair as he lowered his head, similarly to the way you and Klee did. Trying to hide it, but with his iron grip on his blonde locks, and hands shaking, you could tell it wasn't just sadness that he held.

"Experiments?" He almost spewed out, clenching his teeth at the sour edge his words had. "How did I…" he leaned further into his knees. "How in the world did I make you and Klee think you were anything but my first priority…?"

"Nii-san…?"

"How…" he continued. "How did I make you think that my experiments were more important than you?"

"N-Nii-san…?"

He finally looked up, tears brimming his eyes. He wiped them away with his arm, sucking in a deep breath in before looking at you both again. His stare was soft, and you could hardly tell he'd been crying at all. You did the same, wiping your tears away. But your cheeks were still rosy, eyes red and watery even as you took in his words.

"You're both my number one priority," he said earnestly.

You felt like you were going to start crying all over again. Klee beside you hiccuped, desperately trying to hide any traces of her tears.

"Alice took me in and taught me so much alchemy. But not only that, she taught me how to value what's most important to me, how to love and cherish what I have. You both have become precious to me, something that even an experiment couldn't do."

He leaned forward on the couch, taking you and Klee and pressing you both in for a hug. "I love you both, and yes. I promise."

"I promise I'll always be there for the two of you."

**Flashback End**

"At this point," you smugly remarked. "I've probably surpassed you." Both you and Xiangling were on your way back to Liyue, close enough to see the buildings and bridge only a whiles away. You'd spent a few more weeks with the girl, and were beginning to think that maybe you had surpassed her.

After the whole Blood Maiden incident, Xiangling had made sure not to treat you any differently per your request. You continued to spar and learn new polearm techniques, and became an apprentice of the most talented cook you knew while you were at it. Now you could actually make decent food-

"I wouldn't get too cocky now!" She responded with a grin, "I was only going easy on you yknow-"

With a playful shove, you continued on your way down to the Liyue bridge. "Dream on, I know you were going full out on that battle! I almost won too!"

"Yeah, till you spotted a slime."

You frowned, pouting slightly at the comment. "It was cute okay…?" You mumbled, "I seriously can't be the only one who thinks so…"

As spars had gotten more consistent, you also had gotten around asking to touch Xiangling's vision. The pyro orb was brilliantly red, and you would've probably touched it anyway, consent or not.

You were also slightly curious about what happened last time you touched a vision.

She'd let you of course, and the familiar rush in your bones had been the same as last time. You'd let it go almost immediately, breathing hard. But it didn't take long for you to look down at your hands, hands which were burning and on fire.

You'd jumped into the nearby river shortly after.

But the fire hadn't burnt your hands, and you were left with the similar conclusion that somehow, you were able to touch a vision and obtain the element for a short amount of time.

Xiangling however hadn't let you touch your vision after that.

"Anyways," she continued, skipping alongside you as you raced to father down to Liyue. "You remember what I told you to do when we got there right? To go to the pharmacy if you want to get any info on your curse?"

You nodded, having gotten the same recommendation from Xingqiu. Which really only meant one thing, it had to be true. Whoever this Baizhu person was, maybe they could actually help you. You were surprised no one had suggested the pharmacy earlier if that was the case, or more importantly…

'Why did everyone tell me to go visit the perfume lady…?'

Scowling at the memory, both you and Xiangling reached the gates of Liyue. Walking across the bridge didn't feel quite like home, but a similar feeling enveloped your chest as you walked across. You'd learned so much with Xiangling, a lot that had no doubt made you a better fighter and cook.

The blue haired girl pointed to the lone building on the edge of Liyue, and you faintly remember having seen it before. "Head over there, Baizhu will be there, most likely busy though… hopefully he'll have time to see you!"

'Time to see me…? I'll make him have time for me, I ain't waiting any longer.'

But before you began with your next part of the journey, you turned to Xiangling. "Thank you so much for taking me with you, I feel like I learned so much!" You opened your arms wide for a hug, something which the two of you did often. Happily, she wrapped her arms around you, grinning.

"No, 'thank you' Y/n, It's been a while since I've had that much fun hunting for ingredients. Teaching you was a lot of fun too." She pulled away to properly face you, "Make sure to visit the Good Hunter soon! I'll whisk you up something super yummy! Or if you ever need help with anything."

Matching her grin, the two of you said your goodbyes and then you were off. It wasn't like the goodbye would last that long anyway, you'd probably be dining at Good Hunted if you could afford it…

'Not to mention I have to find somewhere to sleep…'

The walk to the pharmacy wasn't long, and you found yourself thinking about the inn Xiangling had mentioned to you before. Wangshu Inn sounded affordable, especially if you continued on with your commissions. The downside was that it wasn't in Liyue, so you'd have to take a morning run just to get over there.

'A little exercise never killed me…'

Well, it was either that or you'd be back to sleeping wherever you could find. Including the trees of Lisha and alleyways of Liyue Port. Not fun, especially when you were caught and someone asked you if you were homeless.

'No duh.'

The upside to that is that they'd give you a couple mora and tell you to get yourself something nice. You hated their pitying stares though, you'd be doing better on mora if you weren't trying to find out about your curse so much-!

Glancing up, you relished upon the fact that you were a few steps away from finding the truth, or a cure. Or maybe nothing if you were unlucky. Bubu Pharmacy looked pretty promising, it looked fancy enough to harbour a ton of medicines at the least. Something that Monstadt didn't have, you'd kinda just have to depend on the cathedral and the healers.

You slowly opened the door, unsure of what to expect.

'Wow… it is fancy.'

Medications littered the counters and desktops. Plants and fancy tiles, weird concoctions that strangely looked familiar to Albedo's, and books piled on top of each other.

'There's no one at the counter…'

You walked up to the small space that didn't have pills and medications overtop of it. Again, no one there, you wondered if you'd really have to cause a mess to draw out the supposed 'Baizhu.' He better have time for you-

"Hello…?" A small voice called from below the counter. "Can I help you?"

Jumping out in surprise, you peeked under the counter soon after, widening your eyes when seeing the small figure of a girl under. Her petite frame was hardly noticeable under the various colours and items plastered everywhere, you weren't surprised you hadn't noticed her.

"Yes!" You blurted out immediately, happy that there was at least someone here. "Uhm… are you Baizhu…?"

You watched as she stared up at you, face turning into a mixture of confusion and curiosity. "Baizhu…?" She asked in her small voice, pausing for a great period of time.

'She looks like she doesn't even know…'

Eventually she shouted out, "No! Qiqi is Qiqi!" Before she went back to her thoughtful thinking, "And Baizhu… Baizhu is my manager… he's working…"

You probably would've been more worried if she didn't take the frame of a child. She seemed a tad forgetful by the looks of it, but even more than that, she looked absolutely adorable.

"Do you think he could spare me a little bit of his time?"

The little girl seemed to pause before nodding and rushing away hurriedly. It didn't take long until she came stumbling back, someone else right on her tail.

The man was tall, very tall when in comparison to Qiqi beside him. He had green hair and darker eyes that were framed by the glasses only old people wear. The snake around his neck irked you, but you found his attire fitting the 'I am a pharmacist' kind of vibe.

'The snake is freaky tho… who keeps one around their neck?'

You numbly wondered if the snake had ever just gone vampire mode and bitten the poor man, you felt it probably had.

"What can I help you with," he asked politely, narrowing his eyes when he got a look at you. You figured he was judging you based on the clothing, which was… fair. You looked poor, he might've figured you wouldn't be able to pay for any medication.

'I can't bust this opportunity…'

"Actually, it's more of a question," you stated. "Do you know anything about curses? Ones that-"

He cut you off at that, seeming to become even more judgy. "Curses? Is that not matters for an exorcist? We have quite a few in Liyue, there are ton of people who specializes in ghosts and spirits."

"A curse that affects your health," you finished, a bit ticked off that he'd interrupted you. "I'm not even sure if I should be calling it a curse, rather a medical condition unheard of."

"Unheard of," he repeated, seeming unconvinced. "Go on."

'Prick .'

"Have you heard of the Blood Maiden?"

This seemed to perk up his curiosity, and he finally took a step forward to look you directly in the eye. "The Maiden who coughs blood and brings misfortune and to those around her? Yes, I've heard quite a bit actually."

You simply stared back at him.

"Are you implying that 'you' are the so called Blood Maiden?" He asked, but still seemed intrigued enough not to deny you immediately.

"Yep."

He continued to stare, analyzing. "Not what I expected," you heard him mumble. "But very well, I might be able to help or provide you with medication if you tell me your symptoms. Help me clear up some of the rumours as well while you're at it, I have a feeling a lot of them were exaggerated."

Whether he believed you didn't matter, but he was giving you a chance to talk, that meant you might be able to figure 'something' out.

"Very well, as you've heard, I cough out blood at random. There's absolutely no pattern or reason for it, trust me. The only thing that I have in common with it is that every time I cough blood, I hear a voice…" it seemed odd for you to even say it. "A male voice, high pitched, and always filled with hatred. He always says mean things, always about hating someone, and it always comes in a breeze."

"Is that all…?"

"No… I was told by… by someone that the reason for this is an energy imbalance. Something about archon energy? The thing with my condition is that I can touch visions and gain them for a minute or two. Power of them I mean, I can't really control it."

He raised his eyebrows, and instead of unlatching the dendro vision at his side, he reached for Qiqi's cryo one. Placing it in front of you, he simply watched as you reached for it.

The same electric feeling coursed through your body, and before you knew it, the floor beneath you tumbled. Rather you slipped, and you fell backwards with a surprised yelp. Looking down, ice coated the layer of the wooden floorboards.

"I see," Baizhu said, but you could tell he was just as confused. "What were you saying about the energy imbalance?"

You slowly got up, clinging to the counter to make sure you didnt fall a second time. The ice melted soon after, soaking your shoes and the floorboards. "I was told I have archon energy, and that the visions energy comes to fill the hole and tie itself to the archon energy thats missing. Frankly I understand none of it, nor do I believe it. But its all I have up till now…"

"Energy imbalances arent abnormal," Baizhu simply replied, hand to his chin. "Having too much yin or yang energy is an example, but what you're speaking of is energy from the gods, from their gnosis? Unlikely but possible, and it wouldnt be unlikely if a product of certain archon's is attracted to energy from a gnosis. Strange, visions are meant for one and one person only. To have them reacting to imbalanced energy…" he rubbed his temples. "And thats considering this 'is' all an energy imbalance."

"So… you dont have anything for it?"

'He didnt need to say all that otherwise..'

"Unfortunately not," Baizhu simply said. "But I know someone who is knowledgeable over archons and their history, he might be able to help you out."

'If this is my only option…'

"Whats his name?"

At this, the green haired man leaned into the counter. "I've already wasted so much time," he commended idly. "If you want that information you'll have to do something for me."

'Doesnt he work here…?'

"What do you need."

Placing a hand on Qiqi's head, he patted her softly. "You see, I have to work on something right now, I can't bother to be disturbed. Unfortunately as it is, Qiqi can't particularly remember to leave me be, I'll need someone to take care of her." He tilted his head to the side.

"No problem," you smoothly stated back. "Now, I need the name."

"Zhongli," Baizhu said just as quickly, leading Qiqi around the counter to meet you. "He works at the funeral parlour." Pushing the little girl so she'd step closer to you, he waved. "Anyways, I'll have to get going, return her in a couple hours or so."

'Funeral Parlour…?'

Your blood grew cold at the encounter you'd had with the Funeral Parlour director, Hu Tao. The girl you'd mistaken as being pursued by an evil spirit.

'Just my luck…'

Looking down to Qiqi who only looked up at you with a dead stare, you sighed. Your hand came to ruffle her hair, and you wondered just how you'd go about getting to talk to this 'Zhongli.'

"Anyways," you stated, looking down at her. "You up for Wanmin?"

"Nothing?" Xiangling asked as you devoured the dish in front of you, struggling to swallow the large piece of meat you'd just swallowed. At this, you just nodded sadly.

When you finished with the food, you looked over to Qiqi who hadn't even made a move to eat any of the food. You'd taken her to Wanmin in hopes to see some reaction from her, and to get some food. Instead she just sipped the milk in front of her, Xiangling having said that's all she drinks.

'I didnt think anyone could resist Xianglings dishes till now-'

Not thinking much of it, you and the blue haired girl chatted over Baizhu and your experience with him. Agreeing on the scary snake, which Xiangling also agreed- it must've bitten him already.

Eventually, you both came to decide that a walk was best instead of just sitting around. Especially when Qiqi looked so bored, you felt bad for the poor girl. As adorable as she was, she looked so… dead inside.

Therefore, you'd made it your personal mission to make jokes and hold hands with the girl as you walked. Xiangling too had taken the other girl's hand, and all three of you skipped along the ports of Liyue. Still, Qiqi kept the neutral face, you didn't let it deter your mood.

"Huh…? Who's that?"

You looked far ahead in the port where another figure stood. And no, it wouldn't have been much of a problem if the figure was normal, but…

'Thats one bigass hat.'

Xiangling who was also curious, sped up the face alongside you, until the three of you hid along a box of crates. Peeking past the boxes to stare at the mysterious figure, you got more details this time. First of all, he seemed terribly short, and secondly…

'The hell is up with his hat.'

Odd balls dangled on the sides, and you were beginning to worry that the actual hat might have had some hidden power to it. You glanced over to Xiangling just at the exact moment that she went to give you a look. As if telepathy rippled between the two of you, you both came to the conclusion without even having to utter a word.

'That hat is dangerous.'

The figure continued to walk ahead, and it now became a game sort of environment. He'd walk for a period of time and then pause, in that pause you and Xiangling would drag Qiqi to a hiding spot to continue watching him.

"Qiqi gets a bad feeling from him…" the smaller girl whispered, looking oddly determined when she peeked over a pile of logs.

All three of you gave pointed glares from the pile of logs, and at this rate you might as well have been defending Liyue. You'd never seen him before, and if Xiangling hadn't either, he must be a threat!

And so it continued forth, tracking him along the ports of Liyue until he… disappeared.

"He's gone," Xiangling breathed out, wide eyed as she looked around. "I had my eyes off of him for a second… and now he's…" She didn't say anything, not wanting to faze Qiqi. All three of you were huddled into the sacks of carrots and potatoes, and when you came to stare at the smaller girl, a terrible feeling filled your stomach.

She looked 'scared.'

Probably the most livid expression you'd seen on her face in the entirety of the time you'd known her. But the terrified look on her face spoke of one and only one thing. Xiangling seemed to get the same idea when she turned to Qiqi.

'We're screwed.'

"Be… behind…" Qiqi mumbled, small hands coming to clasp on the fabric of the sacks. "He's behind us…"

None of you turned.

"Really?" You asked, knowing deep down in your stomach that this was bad. This man gave you the same vibe that the hydro boy had given you. Childe was it? He was terrifying, so was this man. They were another level, maybe it had been a mistake to follow them. "That's not good," you continued, trying to lighten the mood.

Xiangling was sweating profusely, staring ahead of her as if her life depended on it.

Who were you kidding- all three of you were staring in front of you with the same expression.

Until you heard a chuckle.

"I'm not that scary," the voice piped in, higher pitched than you would've thought. "'Am I?'" You could hear the gravel crunch under his feet as he stepped towards you three, awfully slow and tormentful.

You were frozen until he put a hand on you and Xiangling's shoulder, face coming closer to the both of you with a sickening grin. His eyes were pulled into a smile, pupils so small you had to hold back the scream that threatened to escape. And his teeth… goddamn it his teeth were 'sharp .' Like a wolf about to devour its prey.

Before you were going to be the prey, you spoke up.

"What's up with your hat?"

Xiangling immediately flashed you a glare as if to tell you to shut up, but the boy just looked amused. Surprised even, that you broke out of his trance, but the terribly sickeningly sweet smile was gone. "My hat?" He repeated, "Why, it's the last thing little rats like you see before I butcher you, limb by limb."

'Ah shit-'

"Butcher us?!" Xiangling squeaked out, looking horrified.

"Oh yes, you think I couldn't tell all three of you have been following me this entire time?" His eyes twinkled in delight at your terror, and you forced the expression down your throat. He seemed to vibrate then, a purple hue that crackled around him.

'Shit, he has a vision.'

'If only I could somehow control it…'

Instead, you stood up from your crouched position, yanking Qiqi and Xiangling up while you were at it. Giving them a wide stare as you pulled them behind you, you yelled.

"SCATTER!"

Xiangling hadn't been fast enough to catch up to you from the get go, and instead she picked up Qiqi in her arms and sprinted in the opposite direction. The man she'd seen wasn't someone she'd noticed around Liyue, and considering that she was always in Liyue serving customers, or traveling around, it was worrying.

'He wasn't your typical traveler.'

The aura that surrounded him… she really should've been careful, and now she regretted dragging you and Qiqi into this.

'"Slow aren't you?"'

The man with the big hat must've liked to torment people, because his sickly comments just made Xiangling sprint faster. Her muscles ached from previous battles and having traveled so long with you, but she held onto that inkling of fear and let it drive her to Wanmin.

Unfortunately for her, it was getting dark.

Which meant that her father wasn't there, nor were there any customers. It was too dark, past evening, and late enough that even her father would get mad to know she'd been out this late. He knew she'd returned from her voyages with you, and probably would have wanted to spend a little bit more time before she left again.

Being chased by a scary hat man was not the way to go-

But her only option was to dash into the food stall, sliding into the darkness and holding Qiqi to her chest. The girl softly trembled in her arms, small hands grasping at Xianglings arms as if begging to keep her safe.

But it was too late.

A figure stepped into the vicinity of the stall, standing in the doorway small and mighty. The large hat man blocked out the moonlight, leaving Xiangling and Qiqi to be covered in shadows as he stood. Behind him, lightning crackled, and the two girls got one more look at his sickening smile before it all went dark.

"AAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"

You didn't know how long you'd been running for, just that you'd heard lightning somewhere, and that the hat guy would now haunt your dreams.

'I hope Xiangling and Qiqi are okay…'

You faintly remembered Baizhu's comment about getting Qiqi back in about a couple hours or so, and you knew he'd give you quite the verbal beating when you got back.

Now, all you were focused on was getting to Chongyun's house. Xingqiu was too far away, and you didn't have the time or energy to race over to his house right now. Besides, Chongyun would know what to do, he could take you inside and maybe give the guy a spanking with that claymore of his.

'It looks heavy…'

So here you were, banging on Chongyun's door just a little past ten at night. Fists hitting the door rhythmically as you occasionally yelled, "Open up!"

It wasn't desperate until you heard footsteps from behind you. You didn't bother to look, knowing that it was big hat man, and that if the exorcist didn't open the goddamn door right now- you'd haunt him for life.

'I'll push past whatever yang energy bullshit and guilt trip him for this-!'

"Chongyun!" You nearly screeched, "There's an evil spirit behind me! Open up!"

You heard the lights click on.

The steps were much closer, and you could dimly hear the boys chuckle right behind you.

"OPEN UP!"

On cue, the door flew open, and you were dead staring Chongyun with messy hair and an oversized t-shirt. He looked too tired to be up, but the promise of death he held in his eyes almost scared you more than hat man.

'Almost-'

The boy then noticed the boy behind you, jerking upright while fear flashed in his eyes. "Holy shit…" he whispered slowly.

Then he shut the door.

Slammed it right on your goddamn face.

'I'm haunting him in my afterlife, that mf won't be able to exorcise me-'

Your helpless cries and fists banging on the door were lost in the footsteps that continued to walk towards you. Until you were pressed against the door and he was right behind you, breathing down on your neck as you trembled in fear. You could tell he liked it, liked watching you cower beneath him.

'Sadistic twat-'

You ducked under his arms, running away from Chongyun's place and sprinting wherever the hell else. Stumbling and trying to figure your way throughout the darkness. The lamps flickered and threatened to enclose you in complete darkness.

Hat man was always directly behind you.

You didn't know what made him so fast, and you eventually came to a stop, turning to face him instead. He didn't seem to expect this, almost gliding through the stone paveway and trying to skid once he saw you stop.

In the moment where he was caught off guard, you made a grab for his hat, managing to snatch it from his head before making a bolt for it.

'What the hell…'

'This thing is heavy af…'

You held the hat in both hands, struggling to run with the weight. Only managing to take a few steps at a time instead of bursting into a full out run.

"You-!" The boy on the other hand seemed to find this hilarious, crouching down to hold back his laugh. "You absolute moron !' Go ahead and run then, let's see how far you can make it!"

Settling the hat on your head, you found it a little easier to run in, but overall… really fucking heavy. You were nowhere near your original speed, and all the boy had to do to keep up was walk behind you, laughing and mumbling things like, "So pitiful~"

"Its heavy!" You yelled back to his amusement, to which he only laughed back.

And so you dropped the hat and burst into a full run, not before doing something to his precious headpiece, but he didnt notice. After all, Scaramouche's intention was not to hurt you, maybe to give you three a little scare for following him, but he couldn't help following the three of you. That's all he'd done, scared the living shit out of you, that's all he needed.

Until he picked up the hat.

But you were long gone before Scaramouche noticed that you'd cut out one of his balls on either side of the hat. Which meant that not only was the weight unevenly distributed, but that you'd taken a piece of his hat.

His fingers curled around the headpiece as he felt a wave of revulsion hit him. Absolute and utter hatred, he wished he'd done more than just a little scare, after what you'd done to his hat…

But you were too far gone, the ornament in your hand as you sprinted through the streets.

'Now he cant use the full extent of his powers with the hat!'

Little did you know that after this series of events, you'd be known for something beyond Blood Maiden. Beyond your curse.

Posters tomorrow morning would be plastered around with the caption reading…

'Harbinger Thief.'