farewell • xiao

chap. 2

"Wagner!", (y/n) called out her teachers name, causing the older male to look up from his work and furrow his brows.

"(y/n), is there anything you need? I really need to finish this request for a customer", he pointed to the workbench next to him. The blade on top of it slightly reflected the warm light of the furnace.

The girl nodded and sat down on a stool nearby, patiently waiting for Wagner to finish work.

—

"Well, what is it?", he asked while wrapping the newly made sword into leather, tying it together with a robust string.

A short hum escaped (y/n)'s lips, as she started to explain once again.

"A friend from Liyue offered me to visit Liyue to help him forge a new weapon for someone"

Wagner paused in his movements, before slowly putting away the blade. "As long as you come back before the Windblume Festival, I suppose Schulz will be able to lend me a hand", he hesitantly answered, referring to his other apprentice. "I hope this journey will teach you more about Blacksmithing"

(y/n)'s lips tugged into a small smile, excitement spreading through her body as she listened to his words. According to the Acting Grandmaster Jean, the said Festival will take place in about three weeks.

Three weeks were enough to help Zhongli make a new weapon and explore Liyue for a bit. "Thank you so much, Wagner. I'll leave tomorrow morning, so this is probably goodbye for now". The man shortly grinned and waved, before turning back to his work.

After quickly stretching her back, (y/n) immediately made her way to the Tavern again to tell her brothers and friends about the news.

—

"Wow! That's great, isn't it?", Ambers eyes sparkled as soon as she heard about them. She seemed to be more excited about the journey than (y/n) herself, which caused the female to laugh.

Kaeya leaned into his seat, quietly humming to himself. "You're leaving tomorrow dawn already?". He took a sip of his dandelion wine. "Well then, I will wait for you at the gates of Mondstadt. Don't be late"

Venti on the other hand let out a long sigh, as a little blush covered his cheeks due to the amount of wine he consumed.

"Three weeks are such a long time! You should come back as soon as you're done there"

He was interrupted by the owner of Angels Share, whose red hair was tied up into a ponytail. "For once, i have to agree with him. You shouldn't stay there for too long"

Kaeya started to laugh at his statement, while Diluc collected Ventis now empty wine glasses. "You should have more confidence in your sister. Anyway, (y/n), you should probably go to sleep if you want to leave early in the morning", he swiftly added after talking to Diluc in a teasing manner.

The red haired male sighed, then agreeing with his brother afterwards. Moonlight gently shone through the cleaned windows of the Tavern.

Amber smiled widely, waving as (y/n) was about to leave. "See you soon!"

—

Last night, before she went to sleep, (y/n) quickly packed some stuff into a backpack for her journey to Liyue. Some mora, tools, food, a map, basically everything that could become handy in the future.

The people of Mondstadt were still sleeping, as the young girl made her way out of her house to meet Kaeya at the gates of the city. Clouds covered the sky, as (y/n) breathed in the chilly morning air.

The blue haired male stood next to the bridge that connected Mondstadt to the mainland, his eyes wandering over the cold water before he noticed his sibling.

"Right on time. Let's keep going", he greeted her by shortly ruffling her hair. A gentle smile appeared on his face, as he watched her quietly agree with a nod.

—

They walked past Springvale, meeting some hunters who got ready for hunting on their way. Most of the Hilichurls were still asleep, making their short travel a lot easier.

The two of them spent most of the time by exchanging stories and news, even though it was (y/n) who talked most of the time. Kaeya occasionally let out a long yawn, since he stayed up longer the last night.

The sun slowly started to rise, as they came past Dawn Winery. Diluc was already in Mondstadt again because of his business in Angels Share, leaving the Winery with almost no people.

Birds started chirping, as everything slowly came to life to the warm sunlight that shone through the clouds.

Walking along a path next to a lake, Kaeya and (y/n) finally arrived at Stones Gate. The male stretched his back with relish, a satisfied sigh escaping his lips as he did so.

Then his lips tugged into a warm smile before patting her head again. "Well then, see you in three weeks (y/n). Be careful, alright?"

The younger female nodded, before saying goodbye as well.

And as soon as her brother turned around, she took a look at the landscape in front of her.

Mountains, islands and yellowish trees were spread all over the path in front of her. And in the middle of nowhere, she managed to see a glimpse of Liyue Harbor.

An eager smile broke her face, as this was the first time in years that she's been outside of Mondstadt.

A gentle breeze followed her, blowing some hairstrands out of her face while she adored Liyues beautiful landscape.

————