Sying led Aether down a path to the Statue. The walk was very short, and they reached the lake in a few minutes.
"You can swim right over. I'll stay here." Sying decided.
"Mr. Sying, how are you supposed to guide me if you're standing over here?" Aether wondered, getting in the water. Sying groaned and followed him reluctantly. Once Sying and Aether reached the small piece of land, the blond walked up to the Barbatos statue. The outlander touched the golden part of the statue with his right hand, and a piece of the statue glowed a bright teal. The light traveled up to the ball the statue was holding and a sphere of Anemo energy hit Aether in the chest. Parts of his outfit glowed the color of an Anemo Vision. The new power Aether received felt similar to the power of the Anemo Archon.
"Did you just receive Anemo powers? People in Teyvat can never get power as easily as you." Sying told the traveler.
"I think I know why. It's because I'm not from this world."
"That makes sense. If we keep heading west from here, we'll eventually reach Mondstadt, the City of Freedom. Mondstadt is the city of wind, because they worship the god of Anemo. So perhaps, because you got power from Barbatos you can find some clues there. There's also a lot of bards, so it's possible one of them has heard or seen your sisters. Sying looked away from the Aether to find a couple of Pyro slimes behind them. He pulled on his scarf, causing the outlander to look at him.
"Why don't you try out your new powers on those slimes? Don't worry. If things get out of hand, I'll step in." Sying suggested. After Sying gave the traveler words of reassurance, he charged into battle, using his palm vortex and gust surge to quickly defeat the Pyro slimes. "Nice work. You're pretty good."
"Thanks Mr. Sying." Aether led the way off the island and then Sying resumed the lead. On their way to the City of Freedom, the duo heard a roar. Looking up, they saw a giant blue dragon with six wings flying from above.
"Dvalin..." Sying muttered under his breath. Aether looked at the passing dragon in awe, as the creature made its way to the heart of the forest. After a little while, Sying pointed out a bard dressed in green talking to the dragon they saw earlier. Curious, the two of them hid behind a tree nearby to watch. The bard held his hands out to the dragon.
"Don't be afraid. It's alright now, I'm back." The bard said. The dragon titled its head.
"Is he... talking to a dragon?" Aether wondered aloud. Sying watched the interaction with interest, keeping his eyes on the bard. The Anemo energy coming from Aether's chest piece pulsed two times before releasing a burst of wind energy, as Sying's earring glowed a bright blue. Enraged at the interruption, the dragon let out a loud roar and clawed at the bard in front of him. The guy in green jumped back, avoiding the hit and looked at the trees.
"Who's there!?" The bard called out. Sying stepped forward from his hiding spot after hearing the familiar voice of his former friend. The dragon roared again as the bard backed away before disappearing in a flash of Anemo energy. The dragon flew past the two travelers, leaving a smiling Sying and a surprised Aether.
"Good thing the dragon didn't notice me. It seemed pretty mad at you, Mr. Sying." Aether stated. Sying shrugged his shoulders as he looked at where the dragon flew off. "I can't believe dragons exist in this world..." Aether trailed off.
"I can understand why you're worried." Sying told the outlander. The adeptus looked over at the rock the dragon was standing on earlier and noticed a red crystal sitting there. He made his way over to it and picked it up in his hand. Aether stood at the base of the rock, giving a worried glance.
"What is it?" Aether inquired. Sying jumped down in front of the traveler with the crimson crystal in hand.
"In all my years, I've never seen a stone like this before, so unfortunately, I can't tell what it is. All I know is that it's dangerous. I'll hold onto it for now." The adeptus decided, placing the crimson crystal in his coat pocket. With the crystal in safe hands, the duo continued their journey to Mondstadt, only to be interrupted once again.
"Hey, you! Stop right there!" A voice demanded. A girl in red jumped down in front of the trio and Aether stood behind the adeptus. "May the Anemo god protect you, strangers! I am Amber, Outrider for the Knights of Favonius." She gave the two people in front of her a Mondstadt salute. "You don't look like citizens of Mondstadt. Explain yourselves!"
YOU ARE READING
Meraki
Fanfictionthe soul, creativity, or love you put into something; the essence of yourself that is put into your work. In which the King of Khaenri'ah plans to overthrow the Sustainer of Heavenly Principles.
