The Tragedies of Life {A Genshin Impact OC Story}

Chapter 9: Stalker

1 week, 2 weeks, 3 weeks. Somehow everywhere Kinoko went she bumped into Wanderer. At the Akademiya, in the city, but somehow, every time Kinoko went to the Adventurer's Guild, he would be there. And it was the same every time. One commission left, meant for two people. She wondered if there was some specific reason on why, but she couldn't put a finger on it.

And no matter how much she persisted on him telling her something about her past, he would say, "I need to think."

So, now, on the third weekend of doing commissions together, Kinoko asked again. "Are you going to tell me anything today, Koi?" Today they were tasked on a commission at Devantaka Mountain, the place with the massive ruin golem laid. Both Wanderer and Kinoko needed to check the area for any unusual activity, since someone claimed they thought the ruin golem was waking up. A useless commission, really.

Wanderer groaned. He looked bored as archons doing this commissions, and Kinoko knew it probably didn't help that she was pestering him. Not that she cared though. This was the agreement. He was silent for a moment before answering, "You had potential back then. To be strong. There was some sort of spark within you, waiting to be awakened as you trained. I know, because I had to watch you train once."

"But you couldn't get strong enough. That's probably one of the reasons you were abandoned. You looked...starved, back then. You didn't have enough physical energy to get stronger." Wanderer spoke with coldness and a bit of harshness. Maybe it was painful for him to remember things back then too...Kinoko thought.

She looked down, thoughts swarming her brain. She remembered how scrawny she was when she woke up 4 years ago. So he is telling the truth. She tried to imagine herself, training her fighting skills with her scythe, while The Balladeer just stood there and watched. "Where was I? When you were watching me?" She asked.

He scoffed. "Tch, you really want to know that many details?" He asked flatly, but the curiosity in her eyes remained. He looked away, tilting down his large hat to hide some of his face. "A factory for delusions in Inazuma. La Signora and I were planning for...things, and you just had to tag along by her orders." His voice was laced with bitter sarcasm. "She had a Fatui agent battle you. You held the fight for a while before being knocked down."

She shut her eyes, trying to imagine the scene. All that she could imagine was a hard wooden floor, and...pink mist. "Pink mist..." She murmured, as if a light switch had been turned on. Wanderer looked at her in confusion. "Pink mist." She repeated. "In that room, it was the same pink mist you used when you tried to kidnap me." Despite the last part making the atmosphere tense between them, her face had lit up. "I remember something!" A slow smile spread across her face as she silently cheered in her head.

Wanderer's expression remained neutral, but there was a slight hint of amusement in his eyes. "Well aren't you happy as a peach." He commented sarcastically. "Hm. Didn't know that this would piece something together in that small brain of yours."

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, well guess who's your senior in the Akademiya? That's right-me."

"Just because you're ahead of me, doesn't mean you're smarter than me." He snapped.

"It can!"

"Well, you don't remember 16 years of your life. That's a lot of knowledge you lost."

"Well-I'm still smart!"

"sUrE yOu ArE." Wanderer mocked, his glare growing in irritation. Kinoko felt proud of herself for making him so irritated.

She laughed dryly. "Okay, then how old are you, hm?" She asked.

He fell silent.

"..."

"..."

Finally, he said something. "I have no idea why I was trying to hide it from you. I'm 500, or something like that."

Kinoko stopped walking, her mouth wide open. "hUh!? 500? What, are you immortal?" Her eyes were just as wide as her mouth was.

He laughed at her reaction. "I'm not human. I'm a puppet. So let's see who's smarter-the girl that forgot most of her life, or the puppet that's lived for 500 stupid years."

"..."

"..."

"I'm...not going to argue on that." She started walking again, the ruin golem appearing in the distance. "So you're a puppet? As in, you were made by someone."

His smirk disappeared quickly as he averted his gaze from her. "Yes." He saw her open her mouth and interrupted her. "I'm not telling you any more about that." His eyes traveled back to hers as if they were searching for something.

Kinoko just stopped talking. She might've rubbed salt in the wound. Now her ever-growing curiosity that there was more to him than meets the eye was getting stronger. Maybe he didn't tell me because he didn't want to be treated differently. The knowledge I have of him so far sounds almost like a few storybooks and fairytales. Maybe he wants to be treated normally. She thought, then snapped out of her thoughts. Stop trying to find the good in him, Kinoko. He was a harbinger. Her mind then traveled back to what Kazuha said in Liyue. But on the other hand...he's not The Balladeer anymore...

"Come on. You're so slow." Wanderer said, snapping Kinoko out of her thoughts. He started to walking up the large metal arm of the ruin golem, but she hesitated. He turned back to her, a look of impatience growing on his face.

"Someone says the golem is waking up, and we're just going to walk on it?" Kinoko asked. She scanned around the area, trying to look for another way to observe the ruin golem.

Wanderer rolled his eyes. "Whoever made this commission must be paranoid. This thing won't wake up. Tons of researchers have observed this thing before. Even I had to research it in the Akademiya." Seeing her still frozen, he rolled his eyes again. "Come on! I don't have all day. Suck it up."

Kinoko started to walk up the arm, following close behind him. She was silent the entire way up, her head darting around the place to make sure she was save. After a slightly tiring climb, they made it to the top, and it overlooked the area, giving it a nice view. But the ruin golem was giving an unsettling feeling, which made the view not as exciting.

"Just as I thought. A stupid and useless commission. This thing won't ever wake up." Wanderer said. He crossed his arms as he stared down at the floor.

A small clicking noise was heard in the distance, from behind a tree.

His head snapped up. He shoved Kinoko away when she tried to move towards it, and instead quietly went in search of the source. The sound of his wind blades was heard before he emerged back up, a kamera in hand. "Someone's been stalking us-or should I say-you." He took out the photos from the kamera and shook them before revealing pictures of Kinoko to her. "It was a Fatui agent." Her face paled as she stared at the picture. "Knowing the Fatui, we need to go. We're going to the sanctuary of surasthana, and you'll be staying there tonight."

She scrunched up her face in confusing, though her heart was racing extremely fast. "Why can't I go back home? I need to be there, I-"

He cut her off. "No offense, but a stupid forest ranger isn't going to be enough to save your ass if the Fatui really are after you. At the sanctuary, you have me, and the dendro archon herself." He saw the look in her eyes and caught himself. "I'm only doing this because she's making me be kind to others or whatever-not that I actually want to do this."

Kinoko's heart felt like it was bursting out of her chest. "I don't care about that right now. Just get me to the sanctuary where I'm safe. I-I don't want to run into the Fatui." She stammered. He nodded and held out his hand to her, leaving her with no choice but to trust him once again despite herself. She held on for dear life as they soared over the area, landing right on the path towards the city. "What makes you think I can't protect myself?" She asked quietly.

He looked at her as if she were stupid. "Because you can't. Judging by how weak you are while fighting, you can't handle yourself against even one Fatui agent on your own."

She sighed. "You have a point. Maybe you should teach me how to fight so it won't be such a waste of your precious time to do kind things for me." She said sarcastically.

He scoffed. "Maybe one day, mushroom."

"Wha-hey!"