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The sun had reached its zenith, shining brightly and giving warmth to the world below. Rolling fields and plains of green swayed from the cool spring winds, light reflecting off the blades and causing captivating waves. The air carried only the sweetest scents as flowers bloomed and dandelions danced through the air.
Birds were singing, butterflies danced, and nearby deer were grazing happily on a berrybush.
It was a beautiful sight for him to behold, which made the ensuing explosion all the more jarring.
*BOOM!*
Arkade couldn't help but turn his head in shock and alarm as, in the distance, the idyllic scenery was quite literally blown away by a great and towering spray of water. Mere seconds later, a loud, crack-like thunder resounded throughout the land, causing nearby animals to skitter and flee.
The silence that followed was almost unnatural. The sudden shift from peaceful greenlands of flowers and winds and wild animals to stillness and silence made him wonder if that actually just happened.
Then there was a second explosion. In the same area, with the same towering spray and displacement of water that might have actually been greater than the first one. If he focused his vision, he could see a variety and multitude of fish from within the spray before falling back to the earth, definitely dead.
His first day arriving in Teyvat, and he has become a witness to the serial murder of fish.
Of course he had to go investigate.
The mana within him surged to life, filling his body with energy. He took off from where he was and strode across the land with great leaps and even glided occasionally, gracefully like dancing. Scenery blurred, wind rushed past him, dandelions made way, and it didn't take long for him to arrive at the scene of the crime.
It was a lake. A big one. While there were no more explosions as he traveled, he could still smell it in the air. That strong, sharp, acrid scent that made him want to cover his nose. There was also a mess of upturned earth, scattered rocks and pebbles, and soft mud that was everywhere. Of course, the entire area was damp too, considering the large sprays that fell back to the ground.
The culprit was there too. The heinous mastermind that took the lives of so many fish was…
…A little girl?
She was small, maybe around his knees in height, with fair skin and blonde hair that was styled into pigtails and tucked away under a red beret. Her outfit consisted of a red and white coat that stopped at her thighs, and a pair of brown boots that rose just before her knees.
Her small hands, covered by gloves, were haphazardly gathering the blasted fish and putting them into a bag in no particular order or fashion. She was humming some kind of tune, and she didn't seem to notice his approach.
"…"
Stealthily, Arkade picked up two fish from the ground, one in each hand, and sneakily approached her. He was right behind her when he crouched down and handed her a fish.
"Here you go," he said.
"Thank you, mister!" The girl chirped happily, taking the fish from his extended hand and stashing it away. She did not look at him while she did it.
"Don't forget this one too."
"Mhm!" She took the fish again.
"..."
5 minutes passed.
Arkade watched silently as the girl in red continued to put away the fish, humming happily as if today was a good day (it probably was for her), seemingly uncaring that there was a stranger crouching beside her and she was apparently without any guardian or adult supervision.
Then, when she reached out to grab another fish, she froze.
With an almost deliberate, comedic slowness, she turned her head and saw Arkade crouching where he had been for the better half of 10 minutes. Arkade, for his part, got a good look at her face and saw how truly round her face was with fat, pinchable cheeks. Her eyes were just as round, big, and soft, and had the color of an orange sunset.
Then he saw her very pointed, very non-human ears.
"..."
"..."
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"Mmm~"
The girl in red, Klee, as Arkade now knew, munched happily on the grilled salmon on a stick he had prepared for her. It was simple enough to season with the standard salt and pepper, though he did throw in some spices from his homeland for the secret flavor (he doubted anyone in Teyvat could find them), and starting a campfire for roasting was just as easy.
He bit into his own salmon, savoring the flavor as the oily, savory meat fixed worked with the spices. Though eating wasn't a necessity for him, it was fine to indulge in pleasures and luxuries every now and then.
The salmon, too, was different from the ones he had before he came to Teyvat.
"Tasty! It's so tasty, Mister Arkade! What did you put in it?" Klee asked excitedly, almost done finishing off her third salmon. She kicked her legs back and forth from the rock she was sitting on, and Arkade was sitting adjacent to her on a fallen log.
"Just the usual salt and pepper, though I did add some spices from my homeland as well. I'm from Felven, you see."
"Felven?" Klee asked. She couldn't remember any place like that when mom and Albedo were teaching her. Liyue was the place where all the ships were, Inazuma was the place where the grumpy Shogun made it rain a lot, and Sumeru was the place where even adults had to go to school.
Klee hopes she never has to go to Sumeru.
"You don't know? No, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. Felven is a big island to the far east of here, away from Teyvat and its rules."
Klee tilted her head in confusion.
"But Albedo says that Teyvat is the world. How can Felven be away from the world?" She gasped. "Is it like the weird, floating island up there?"
She pointed a finger towards a distant part of the sky. In the distant fading blue, where no birds could ever reach and beyond even the clouds, was a floating island with the faint outlines of crumbled ruins.
Celestia. Home of the gods, and dominion of The Heavenly Principles.
Arkade hesitated for a moment, almost bracingly, as if expecting some kind of sign or warning when someone irreverently pointed towards a sacred or holy artifact with an oily, fishy finger… or being called a "weird, floating island."
He relaxed as nothing happened.
"No, nothing fantastical like that I'm afraid," Arkade clarified. "When anyone says Teyvat, they can either refer to the world itself, or to the continent where the Seven Archons reign over their respective nations." He tapped a foot on the ground. "I am referring to the continent."
"Oh," Klee said, though she still didn't quite get it. Arkade wasn't offended or annoyed. She will learn at her own pace one day, when she's older.
"What about you, Klee? Where are you from?"
"Mondstadt!" The girl in red declared happily. "It's the best nation in the whole world! It has lots of pretty flowers and windmills, and it has the best fish, and it's where the Knights of Favonius are!"
"The Knights of Favonius?"
"Yep! They're a bunch of super cool people that protect Mondstadt and fight bad guys! There's Albedo, Sucrose, Uncle Varka, Jean, Kaeya, Lisa, and Amber. Oh, and Klee is part of the knights too!"
Arkade blinked. "Really?"
"I'm the Spark Knight!" Klee answered happily. "That means I get to fight bad guys and blow stuff up!"
With no warning and no invitation to do so, Klee reached into her backpack and pulled something round from out of it. She wound up her arm and threw it far away from them, and Arkade couldn't help but acknowledge how she has remarkable aim and arm strength for someone her age and stature.
*BOOM!*
A fiery explosion burst forth with a flash of heat, light, and thunder. Smoke and ash covered the area and scorched the ground that wasn't displaced, leaving only a crater of destruction and embers.
And this wasn't even her strongest bomb.
Klee then turned to look at him, an honest and excited smile on her face. It occurred to Arkade that she was waiting for him to say something.
Arkade was running a hundred thoughts a second, and settled on simple praise.
"Good job, Klee. Very cool."
"Hehe~"
Arkade gave her a small smile and clapped his hands politely, and Klee laughed in joy at the praise.
"KLEE!"
A voice shouted in the distance. Klee flinched and stilled, as if not moving could somehow render her invisible. Arkade looked to where the voice came from, and saw two figures in the distance rapidly approaching.
The first figure was a woman. She was tall, blonde, fair-skinned, and was wearing what he assumed was a military outfit. As she got closer, he could see that it was a black sleeveless shirt underneath a white vest that extended into a blue tailcoat. Around her neck was a white collar, and around her shoulders was a flowing blue capelet. Her pants were white and very… form-fitting, and matched her boots.
Following close behind her was a young man with pale hair and pale skin. He was wearing an indigo shirt with various cross designs underneath a white hooded jacket. He wore black shorts with thigh-high boots.
The woman had a look of frustration, concern, and exasperation while her companion had a look of worry and… placation? As if he was trying desperately to calm down the woman.
"Hnnngh~..." Klee let out a soft whine, but didn't try to run or hide like any child would have. Something commendable, if a little too late.
It didn't take long for the two people to arrive at their little makeshift camp.
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Thirty seconds.
Albedo took his eyes off Klee for thirty seconds. Half a minute.
He was reading reports and occasionally marking them while Klee was happily coloring and drawing in her sketchbook. He heard a crash outside of his office and went into the hall to investigate.
A squire, an apprenticed knight or someone training to become a knight, had accidentally tripped while carrying a stack of books and papers. Seeing no harm in it, Albedo helped them gather their things and sent them on their way.
He went back into his office.
There was an open window with curtains and drapes knotted together to form a makeshift rope.
There was also a lack of a Klee.
Albedo's response to this was not to scream or panic, but to sigh and mentally scold Cavalry Captain Kaeya for teaching her how to make ropes. This was not the first time that this has happened, and Albedo knew with absolute certainty that this would not be the last.
So he tucked away all his material, secured and locked safely, before grabbing his jacket and setting off to find Klee.
He also passed Kaeya in the hall and gave him a quick "Klee's escaped again," before resuming his march. It was clear in his tone that he blamed Kaeya, who only gave a mirthful chuckle before heading off to his secret wine stash hidden in Albedo's office.
Albedo, with a little bit of alchemy, gave the wine a spicy little kick before leaving.
Returning to his search for Klee, Albedo was actually an expert. As a holder of a Geo Vision, he had a connection to "Earth" that allowed him to freely control and manipulate said element. But a subtle, clever application allowed him to use Geo as a sensor or radar, detecting anyone connected to the ground.
He has used it many times, and he was quite familiar with Klee's height, weight, and rhythm of footsteps. He closed his eyes and concentrated…
…and found nothing.
"Albedo, look! Mommy gave Klee new shoes! They're super soft and comfy and they're also really quiet too!" She had said while jumping up and down.
Albedo sighed as he remembered. Aunt Alice would occasionally pop in for a visit, catching up with everyone and dropping off presents before eventually leaving again. She was a busy woman, and so she would spend whatever free time she had absolutely doting and pampering Klee.
And it seems that it would extend to helping her get away with some of her "shenanigans." No doubt the shoes were special, considering Albedo couldn't find her. Some kind of magic or witchcraft that only Alice could conceive, which she of course used to help out her darling, adorable Klee.
As Albedo was but one man, he had little choice but to pull out the big guns.
"Jean. It's Klee again."
Four words were enough to elicit a response from the Acting Grandmaster; a long and weary sigh. Nevertheless, she prepared herself and left the office to help Albedo look for Klee, hopefully before she did anything too irreversible to damage with her bombs.
Albedo had taught Jean a similar sensing technique that applied to Anemo rather than Geo, but Jean also had no luck finding her. As expected of Aunt Alice, she took account of both members of the Fun Police (I.E. Albedo and Jean). With little choice, they had to scour the entirety of Mondstadt on foot to find the little bomber.
They recruited other knights like Wood, Athos, and Porthos to help with the search. Amber and Eula joined when they crossed paths with Jean, who told the Outrider and Spindrift Knight about the Sparknight's latest escapade. Sucrose suggested making a device that reacted to Pyro energy to trace and follow Klee's usage of her Vision, but Albedo declined saying that it would take too long to make a sophisticated device like that.
It would also react to anyone who used a Pyro Vision, not just Amber's or that one particularly unlucky Adventurer boy, but any of the hundreds of Vision Holders they had in Mondstadt.
They searched nearly all of Klee's favorite hideaways, that is to say, places she would go to blast some fish.
The coast near Dawn Winery (Master Diluc and his staff claim that they did not see Klee nor hear any explosions).
The lake by Springvale (Draff gave the same answers as Diluc).
The coastline of Mondstadt itself along with the eastern and western beaches of Cider Lake (They definitely would have heard something that closeby).
Dragonspine River (Klee usually didn't go there, but considering they had just transitioned to Spring and warmer weather, it was better to check anyways).
Daudapa Lake (There was a lack of destruction and a lack of screaming, burning Hilichurls).
Falcon Coast and Windrise River (Dr. Edith reported no sightings of Klee or explosions, but then again Klee was told that Windrise was a sacred place and that she should avoid using bombs at all).
All that was left was Starfell Lake, Stormbearer River, and Starsnatch Coast.
Amber brought up the possibility that maybe they actually did pass by an area where Klee was, but that she was using a fishing rod instead of her bombs to fish. They usually found Klee by following the explosions, so the idea of an intentionally stealthy Klee that was actively trying to not get caught was a daunting idea to grasp.
Thankfully, that wasn't the case.
Albedo and Jean had just finished scouring Starfell Lake when they heard the distant sound of an explosion up north near Stormbearer Mountains. Jean had yelled Klee's name, using Anemo to amplify and carry her voice across the wind. Albedo couldn't help but flinch, as anyone would rather not be scolded by a parent or guardian.
The Chief Alchemist did his best to try and placate Jean as they marched towards where Klee hopefully was, throwing out unfounded assurances that maybe Klee didn't do much damage this time.
The Acting Grandmaster said nothing, and Albedo began to plan ways to comfort Klee after being grounded for three days sent to solitary confinement.
They found Klee, who was sitting on a smooth boulder with her hands in her lap and looking down, bracing for the reprimand that was bound to come. Albedo was relieved that Klee was safe, and Jean was too despite her current demeanor.
However, concerningly enough, there was an unknown man sitting right beside her, patting her head comfortingly, and looking at both of them with a curious, but otherwise calm expression.
He was a tall man with lightly-tanned skin, perhaps a shade lighter than Kaeya, with long, black hair that he kept in a loose braid over his right shoulder. His eyes were soft and bright, with the color of cloudy gray like the skies over Old Mondstadt. His face was youthful and clean, maybe in his early twenties.
He was wearing a faded gray tunic and black pants fastened by a belt, with leather boots made for walking long hours and longer distances. Over his body was an elegant, almost regal white coat that Albedo couldn't help but think belonged to a wiseman or a sage. It was actually similar to his own coat in some ways.
Albedo took in the scene. Considering that Klee didn't seem bothered or uncomfortable by the man's presence and actions, he could at the very least assume that the man wasn't hostile or malicious. He looked around the campfire, sticks stabbed through fish and roasting near the flame while discarded sticks on the floor were stabbed through the skeletons of ones they had already consumed.
They were eating together, peacefully, as if they were having a picnic. Albedo allowed himself to relax, and it seemed that Jean had come to the same conclusion. As to be expected of the Acting Grandmaster.
She was still mad though.
"Klee," Jean put her hands on her hips, shooting the tiny girl in red a disappointed look. "Where have you been?"
"...I was on an adventure and blasting fish," Klee mumbled quietly.
"And why," the Dandelion Knight continued. "Don't you have anyone with you? Or at the very least tell one of the knights where you were going?"
"..."
"...I believe I count as adult supervision?"
Albedo and Jean both looked at the man beside Klee who had just spoken up. Even the girl herself gave him a surprised look.
"And you are?" Albedo asked.
"Arkade, at your service," the man introduced himself. "And you two?"
"I am Albedo, Captain of the Investigation Team and Chief Alchemist. And this is Jean Gunnhildr, the Acting Grandmaster of the Knights of Favonius. Why exactly are you with Klee, if you don't mind answering."
"I found dear little Klee outside the city and asked her where she was going. She said that she was "going on an adventure," and I asked if I could come along. She agreed, and I've been watching over her ever since. We explored the wilderness and she told me all about her favorite places and things to pick up while she was outside. She also took me fish-blasting, and I prepared the fish we were eating. You can have some, if you'd like."
Jean didn't accept the offer, and merely raised a brow. "You found a child wandering outside Mondstadt and didn't think to notify the proper authorities?"
"Well, I couldn't just leave her to her own devices now, could I? Nor did I think it prudent to grab her and forcibly drag her back into the city kicking and screaming. In the end I believed it best to just follow her and let her do her own thing, and maybe step in should things get… out of hand."
"And what was with the explosion just now?"
"I simply asked dear Klee if I could try using and throwing one of her bombs myself. I was… taken aback by exactly how strong it was."
He was lying.
Albedo didn't know how or why he thought that, nor did he have any proof. He just had this feeling that he was lying. Not about feeling responsible for looking after Klee, but about how they met.
He had a hunch that the two met long after Klee had left the City of Mondstadt.
Arkade, for whatever reason, was covering for Klee.
Albedo looked over to Jean, who had a quiet, pensive expression on her face while she was processing what she was told. Maybe she also felt the same way as Albedo did?
She turned to Klee.
"Klee, is what Mister Arkade saying true? Has he been looking after you this whole time?"
Klee, like most children her age, had been taught many valuable lessons.
Always treat others the way you want to be treated.
Always ask to borrow something and give it back when you're done with it. Never take what doesn't belong to you.
And that honesty was the best policy.
So Klee did what any child would do when faced with a stern grown-up that had the power to send her to solitary confinement if she was caught breaking the rules.
She lied through her teeth.
"Yep! Yep!" Klee responded, rather quickly and nodded her head up and down, hoping that Jean didn't notice how much she was sweating. "It's exactly like what Mister Arkade said! He's been super nice and made sure Klee wasn't in danger or did anything she wasn't supposed to do!"
"Like leaving Headquarters without telling anyone?"
"..."
Jean looked at Klee, who had a stiff smile on her face while her ears were red and twitching. Then she looked to Arkade, who had the same calm, serene expression throughout the entire ordeal.
His cloudy gray eyes met with her steely blue ones.
Eventually, Jean relented.
She closed her eyes and sighed. "I see. If that's the case, then as Acting Grandmaster, I apologize for the rude interrogation. Thank you for looking after Klee, Mister Arkade."
Arkade waved her off, not offended at all. "You were merely worried about your ward traveling with an unknown stranger. Anyone would have done the same."
She nodded before turning to Klee, who was trying not to wilt under her gaze.
"...Is Klee going to solitary confinement?" She asked weakly.
Jean gave her a hard look before sighing again. "You'll be getting a stern talking to about leaving Headquarters without telling anyone and about the importance of communication… but no. No solitary confinement."
Klee cheered, and Albedo couldn't help but let out a light snort and smile. A happy Klee was, in the end, a good outcome.
"Alright Klee, it's time to go back home." Albedo ushered the girl over to his side, which she happily did. The Chief Alchemist then turned towards Arkade. "Is there, perhaps, anything we could do for you? As repayment for looking after our precious Sparknight."
Arkade looked at him briefly before adopting a thinking pose; covering his mouth with a gloved hand. After a few seconds, he finally spoke.
"I'd like to come with you three to Mondstadt if you're willing to have me. I'd also like some help setting up shop."
Albedo and Jean raised a brow, giving him a surprised look. Was Arkade… a merchant of some sort?
"You're a merchant?" Albedo voiced their question.
"Of a sort. I can provide resources and services that might be of interest to you, your Knights of Favonius, and the rest of the civilians of your Mondstadt. It's not limited to just the bartering and trading of items."
Albedo furrowed his brows. "I… where exactly are your goods?"
Arkade raised his right hand in front of himself with his palm facing upwards. Inexplicably and without warning, a book manifested within his grasp.
"I keep them safely tucked away in a pocket dimension I created using magic," Arkade explained casually, as if noting today's weather and not a manipulation of reality. "Do the people of Teyvat know what pocket dimensions are? You can think of them as… imaginary spaces that certain beings of great power or skill can whip up. Some use them for storage while others actually live inside them. I'm one of the former, personally, I don't think I could take being that far separated from the real world."
If Albedo and Jean weren't surprised before, they definitely were now. Their eyes widened in shock and they were left in stunned silence while Klee, being the innocent child, only marveled and ooh'd at his trick.
While Jean herself wasn't experienced in the mystical arts, her close friend and Librarian of Mondstadt's library, Lisa, would occasionally talk about the subject over lunch breaks and tea-time, if she was in the mood. And Albedo, from the teachings of his mother and Aunt Alice, knew all too well about the gravity of what he just did.
They knew what pocket dimensions were, just as they knew how making one was no easy feat any mage could just pull off.
"You're a mage?" Jean asked.
"I am indeed," Arkade confirmed. "This is the resource and service I offer you, my magical knowledge and expertise, should you help me."
"Wow Mister Arkade, you're just like mommy!" Klee exclaimed happily.
Arkade laughed, but was also a bit curious. "Oh? Is Klee's mother a mage as well?"
"She is," Albedo answered. "Have you ever heard of Alice? Rhinedottir "The Gold?" The Hexenzirkel?"
Arkade hummed, rummaging through his memory, before giving his answer. "No, I cannot say I have. Are they mages local to Teyvat? If that's the case then I, nor anyone I've met, wouldn't have heard of them."
Albedo noticed something particular about the way Arkade spoke. "You speak as if you aren't from Teyvat."
"I am not. Well, not the continent. Both this specific continent we're standing on and the planet are called Teyvat. For clarification, I was born and raised in this world, just not in these lands. I'm from Felven, a large island to the far east of here."
He pointed in that direction to emphasize his point.
"It's in the regions I believe you Teyvatians call "The Dark Sea.""