𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙩𝙧𝙪𝙚 𝙙𝙚𝙨𝙘𝙚𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧

4 - omg a rock has disappeared!

(cloud retainer's pov)

Cloud retainer soared through the sky, her crane form gliding effortlessly on the wind currents. She patrolled the borders of Liyue, her sharp eyes scanning the ground for any signs of trouble. The Guili Assembly, a bustling city built and ruled by the God of Geo and the God of Dust, was particularly known for its advanced engineering skills. As a protector of Liyue, Cloud retainer was always vigilant and watchful.

As she flew over Mt. Tainheng, her keen eyes caught sight of something out of the ordinary. The mysterious floating rock, a popular tourist attraction for its supposed otherworldly origins, was missing. The rock was said to have fallen from the sky thousands of years ago and was believed to cause a deep and dreamless sleep for anyone who touched it. But now, it was gone, vanished as if it had never existed.

Cloud retainer descended lower to the ground, her curiosity piqued by the sudden disappearance of the rock. As she landed, she saw something that made her heart skip a beat. A young girl lay asleep on the ground near where the rock had been. Was it just a coincidence, or was there something more to this?

Cloud retainer approached the girl cautiously, not wanting to startle her. The girl seemed to be in a deep slumber, completely unaware of her surroundings.

Cloud retainer stood there for a moment, lost in thought. The disappearance of the rock and the appearance of this mysterious girl seemed too coincidental. Could there be a connection between the two?

*********

As Cloud Retainer entered the mansion, Guizhong greeted her with a cheerful smile that could light up the darkest of dungeons. "Hello there! How lovely to see you today!" she exclaimed, her eyes twinkling with joy. Morax, on the other hand, was standing in the corner with his arms crossed, his face stoic as ever. He simply nodded in acknowledgement, his eyes betraying nothing.

As Cloud Retainer's eyes roamed around the room, she noticed Guizhong attending to a young man who was lying unconscious on a bed. His body was riddled with wounds, the blood stains on his clothes a testament to his suffering. The green patterns on his right arm marked him as no ordinary mortal - a yaksha perhaps? She couldn't help but wonder what kind of terrible ordeal he had gone through.

"Is he alright?" asked Cloud Retainer, her voice dripping with concern.

"I found a yaksha enslaved by a god and decided to rescue him," said Morax with a blank face, and as usual, as stoic as a rock.

Ah, so he is another yaksha that Morax 'adopted'.

"Apparently his name is Alatus," Guizhong added, "He's recovering pretty well, considering all the horrible things he's been through. But enough about him, you came all the way here from your patrol route just to talk to us. How can we help you?"

Cloud Retainer cleared her throat before speaking. "Are you familiar with that floating rock atop the mountain?"

"Of course! It's one of the most iconic attractions in Liyue!" Guizhong's eyes lit up with excitement, "If my memory serves to be right, it is a meteorite that fell from the sky. I've touched it once before during an investigation and I have fallen asleep for days! Nobody knew much about why it happened, but I did have my theories that it fell from another world. Why, did you discover something new?"

"One was on patrol, and lo and behold...It simply disappeared, without a trace," Cloud Retainer exclaimed, her voice tinged with disbelief.