Chapter Text
No matter how far in Tevyat Lumine travels, she always finds time to come back to Mondstadt. It’s not all that hard with the teleport waypoints and she appreciates the sense of familiarity. They would always welcome her back as their Honorary Knight, even if it was rare for them to find a problem they couldn’t handle on their own these days.
The first thing she did today was check in with Katheryne for any daily commissions. With all her business handled in the Chasm and quite some time before she headed off for Sumeru, she figured it would be a good time to help out before Mondstadt’s chores were far beyond her reach.
“Oh, Traveler. I actually have a bigger request that was put in specifically to be offered to you when you returned.”
“Huh, that’s weird. Usually people just wait until they run into me,” she signs.
“It’s from Albedo. He wants you to come up to his lab when you have the chance. He said he’d give you details there.”
“Ah. That makes sense. Thanks.”
Albedo always sent his requests through a third party, never spending much time around the city. What a busy body, but Lumine supposes it’s her own busy schedule that prevents people from just tracking her down themselves.
She turns to leave but before she can go Katheryne calls out.
“Wait a minute! You should know that there have been some unusual tremors on Dragonspine lately. Along with the Sheer Cold, you should also be wary of the increased avalanche risk.”
“I will, thanks again Katheryne!” she signs with a wave.
“Of course. Have a safe trip!”
Lumine is able to make it into Albedo’s lab with little trouble, but the moment she arrives there it’s clear the conditions have been taking their toll. His usually organized workspace is completely out of order, with fallen beakers and books strewn about the floors and desks.
Along with that is his current subject of research. Papers cover every surface, filled with writing about… gardening? Alongside those pages are drawings she can tell are penned by Albedo’s own careful hand because of the crisp perfection of the lines, each depicting strange geometric symbols and lengthy notes.
As she’s reading, she hears a rustling in the corner of the room. In her peripheral vision she sees something move under a pile of blankets, before suddenly popping up and revealing Albedo.
“Greetings, Lumine. I’m glad to see you’ve made it here unscathed.”
She clutches a hand to her chest in surprise. “Albedo! I didn’t even see you there.”
“I appear to have fallen asleep. Please excuse my sudden entrance.”
Lumine looks away as he straightens himself out, deciding to ignore whatever it was just happened.
“Soooo, I see you’ve found a new avenue of research. Does it have something to do with all the tremors lately? Katheryn told me about them before sending me up here.”
“Not at all,” he says. “Initially I believed the disturbance could have something to do with the changing energies as a result of removing the Skyfrost Nails, but the research you’ve brought back from the Chasm has made me realize that is not the case. It’s likely the work of the Abyss Order, goodness knows what they still want with Dragonspine, but I digress, that is not what I need help with.”
“Oh… so, wait, we’re just going to leave it?”
“Your research on the corruption in Liyue is enough information to let the Knights handle it ourselves. What I brought you here today to discuss is these alchemical journals that I believe contain knowledge obtained by the people of Sal Vindagynyr that I believe may have led to their destruction,” Albedo explains.
“I’m sorry, what?”
“Khaenri’ah was not even a part of Tevyat but still the gods saw reason to strike them down. Who is to say Sal Vindagrynr and the Pre-Thunderbird civilization of Inazuma didn’t meet the same fate? We do not even know the name of the peoples that once lived in the area that has become the Chasm, but one of Celestia’s nails lies there all the same.”
“And you want to uncover this research. The very thing that got these civilizations wiped out.”
“But of course. And who better to ask than the one who also seeks the truth of this world?”
“...What am I looking for?”
“There is a series of at least 5 journals, though I wouldn’t be surprised if there are more. The one I’ve collected is the 5th. I found it in the Entombed City, and I suspect the rest will be in that area as well. It contains detailed research on alchemy, in particular the subject of human transmutation, though it is all coded to appear as a book on horticulture.”
“Human transmutation… You can’t mean-”
“It is what we would now call the Art of Khemia, yes. Though this appears to be a specific discipline with no interest in working with non-human entities, hence its name. This book in particular seems to show the author’s intent to revive a deceased human, rather than create life of their own.”
“That sounds… unbelievable.”
Albedo shrugs. “It very well might be, but I’ll need all the pieces to figure out if there’s any truth to it. But please, do keep this covert. There is a reason I cannot ask Sucrose or Timaeus, as I fear their curiosity would endanger them.”
“Alright, you can count on me! But oh- before I head out, I think I may have already picked up one of your books…”
As Lumine reached into her bag, the entire mountain began to shake. She dropped her books and held out her arms, trying to catch on to something to steady herself before she knocked into something fragile. She felt her hands meet the cold slate of the chalkboard containing a chalk circle.
In an instant, her vision was consumed by a flash of white. The last thing she saw was a dark gloved hand she could have mistaken for Aether’s, reaching out toward the light that consumed her as gravity lost its hold.