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Wanderer, a scholar from the Vahumana darshan, suspects that the exchange student from Mondstadt is, in fact, a witch .
Since he first laid eyes on her, he knew she was more than she let on.
This accusation is not baseless; he has evidence, but nothing concrete that could corner her to admit her crime.
The way she disappears into the puddle of starry water every night. The eerily hundred percent accuracy of her foretelling. Also, achieving an impossible feat that no one has ever accomplished in her second month at Akademiya.
Only someone who weaved a pact with the heretics could achieve what she did.
While it is not his job to judge her for violating the Akademiya rules, his mind is constantly bothered by her every move. He needs closure; a way to end this persistent suspicion towards her and put his mind at ease, so he can focus on writing his own thesis.
Mona Megistus, the exchange student from Mondstadt, currently affiliated with Rtawahist Darshan, is a wicked witch who cast a spell on him, afflicting his mind with an incurable disease.
・・・━━━☂★━━━・・・
She has been suspicious since her first day at Akademiya.
Far away from their home, the exchange students are always looking for a new thrill in this foreign country, preferably nothing related to studying.
Mona Megistus’ taste of thrill is something entirely away from common folks.
“Where is the Restricted Repository?”
That is the first time he heard her voice; firm and confident, demanding her answer.
“Uh, um, Mona Megistus from Mondstadt University, right?”
The Akademiya student assigned as the tour guide panics. All eyes in the House of Daena turn to the group of exchange students, particularly the girl who wears a big round hat with her hair in twintails.
Is that a witch hat? Ridiculous.
After the tour guide explains that normal students cannot access the restricted area, the girl raises another question.
“Who can access it then?”
The girl stands tall, exuding confidence from her perfect posture. Her black dress falls perfectly to her ankle, accentuating her imposing aura.
Who wears a long black dress in Sumeru weather?
She has the look of a prim and proper honor student with a shining badge of lunacy, definitely on top of Wanderer’s avoid list.
“Only General Mahamatra and his trusted associates,” the tour guide answers, pleading for her to end the topic.
She looks around before facing the tour guide again. “Too bad, I was looking forward to reading about the fake sky . Rules are rules, can’t be helped.” She shrugs, expressing her disappointment for everyone to see.
The tour guide immediately halts the library tour, ushering them to the next destination.
Her questions turn the wheels in Wanderer’s mind.
What does an exchange student from Mondstadt want to do with the knowledge sealed by the matra? Why is she so vocal in her desire to take a peek at the restricted area? What does she know about the fake sky ?
Wanderer never pays any heed to the exchange students—more like he never pays any heed to anyone. He does not involve himself in trivial matters of mediocre people, so he thought he would soon forget about his curiosity towards the girl, dismissing her as a stupid Mondstadter being weird in a foreign place.
This weird girl, though, with her weird hat and flowy black dress and attitude, appears to be an exceptional exception.
・・・━━━☂★━━━・・・
Wanderer scraps the paper that he’s writing on, throwing it in the trash bin without looking. Books and research papers loiter on his desk and the floor of his dorm room. He heaves a sigh and rustles his hair, getting increasingly frustrated for not being able to write what he has in mind into words.
The political analyses he has written are hailed as incisive, earning him a great deal of respect from his field. Alas, a scholar’s graduation thesis is something entirely different, especially considering he has to get his aunt’s approval.
As with any other night that he struggles with his thesis, he ditches his work desk and walks towards the window, opening it to feel the chilly night breeze. He sits at the window frame, looking at Sumeru City.
He recalls the weird girl with her ridiculous big hat. She left a big impression as he remembered her name after hearing it once.
Mona Megistus from Mondstadt, currently with Rtawahist darshan.
Recalling the scene, where she asked fearlessly about the entry to a restricted area, puts a smile on his lips. At least he has something to pass this restless night.
He stays, enjoying the company of the moon, until he spots a figure exiting the dormitory door. Under the dim streetlights, he sees a figure sneaking away and disappearing into a puddle of starry water just outside the gate.
He tilts his head, noting the characteristic of the suspicious figure, who has shed her imposing black dress and big hat in favor of a plain old hoodie.
Under the moonlight, the swishing twintails leave a trail of stars upon the path that she trudges. Under an unbreakable spell, his eyes obediently follow each sparkle until they disappear into the night.
Mona Megistus.
What the heck? Where did she go?
He squints his eyes, watching the leftover trail, counting each second that passes by.
About an hour later, the girl reemerges from the puddle of water, sneaking into the dormitory entrance as if she has never left the place.
Wanderer frowns.
He taps on the window frame, wondering what the weird girl is up to at this wee hour, wondering what is Mona Megistus’ real identity, wondering what kind of secret ritual she partakes in.
Mona Megistus has evolved from a weird Mondstadt girl into an intrusive thought hijacking his consciousness.
・・・━━━☂★━━━・・・
Over the course of two weeks, Wanderer has spotted the Rtawahist girl again and again at the same hour every day. She always exits the dormitory premise at midnight and returns an hour later.
The foolish girl thinks shedding her try-hard attire and donning a basic hoodie is enough to hide her identity. Wanderer cannot think of a more foolish person.
However, she proves to be a good distraction to unwind his mind. He will sit by his window and she will appear with strict punctuality. It has become a routine, an unspoken agreement between the two.
He wonders how long this secret observation will last before the matra catches on. Her sneaky nightly ritual might be nowhere near legal, he speculates.
Though, today seems to be a break in their routine.
Neither under the soothing moonlight nor amidst the shimmering stars, but under the rash sunbeams. Neither inside the Akademiya nor the premise of the international student dormitory, but on the lively Treasures Street.
Wanderer spots the familiar trail of glittering stars from the corner of his eyes.
He is doing an errand for his aunt, buying her favorite candied ajilenakh nuts from Puspa Café. When he exits the well-known café, he spots her exiting from Menakeri’s Treasure Shop, hugging a big sack and rushing off with the speed of light.
Honestly, does she think she is unrecognizable in that hoodie—when her twintails are rebelling against the wind?
He caught a glimpse of what was inside the big sack; it looked long and glinting, reflecting the sun on its surface. Glass? Metal? Some tools for her night ritual?
Wanderer keeps his eyes on her as she is rushing back to the dormitory. He wonders, what was that about? Why does she keep piling up mysteries that baffle him?
Nevertheless, whatever she does is none of his business.
He snorts, taking the opposite direction, towards the Akademiya to hand over his aunt’s order.
Following that day, on days when he walks the streets of Sumeru City, he will sometimes find her amidst the crowd. Even in her plain hoodie and comfy pants, she stands out nonetheless.
Wanderer never tries to find her, but she intrudes her way into his field of vision. It is not hard to find the stars dotting her lustrous dark locks; not losing to the brilliance of the sun's rays.
・・・━━━☂★━━━・・・
Mona Megistus’ name has always been a hot topic since she arrived at Akademiya. The eccentric exchange student with a big witch hat who asked about the Restricted Repository on day one. The diligent genius who stays at the top of her classes despite being on an exchange program. Lastly, the most famous of all, the fortune-teller who can read the stars for people’s fate.
Fortune-telling is, at best, giving people a false sense of control over the future; purposely using vague words that could apply to various situations. Wanderer has no interest in this unscientific nonsense. However, when her popularity as a fortune-teller dwindled until it collapsed after a month, his curiosity was finally piqued.
One fateful evening, Wanderer took it to himself to observe her telling the fortune of the people in the cafeteria, conjuring an astrolabe made of water between her palms.
"You won't amount to anything even if you run for the club president’s position."
"You've got no chance with him. In fact, he will soon leave you."
It does not take a genius to figure out why her fortune-telling business went under. Ignorant folks sought to hear pretty words, but her tongue speaks with no sugar. To know that she actually charges zero mora is all the more interesting.
Wanderer gets up from his seat, walking closer to the fortune-teller. He pulls the seat across from her and takes the seat.
This is the first time he sees her face-to-face. She sits with the perfect posture, with a pair of green eyes that see through pretenses and a pair of honest eyebrows scrunching to express her displeasure at his unwelcome presence. He smells something sweet and fresh in the air; a mix of red apples and wild mint on the windy green plains.
Why does she insist on wearing that big ugly hat?
“Hey, Mona. There’s this one girl that I’m interested in. Could you please read my fortune?” He politely asks her with a nice smile.
Mona Megistus examines him before settling her gaze on his eyes, holding steady eye contact.
“Why should I? You don’t believe in fortune-telling,” she replies with unwavering confidence.
He feels the corner of his lips hiking up, amused at her response. He was confident he masked his expression well, posing as a foolish student who wants to get love reading. What sort of power does she possess to see through him?
Wanderer snorts, scrutinizing the girl from top to bottom. He leans back in the chair and folds his arms. “Why? Because you believe in that nonsense,” he replies.
Mona Megistus observes him carefully, slicing his statement word by word, waiting for his next sentence.
“Say, how do you foretell the future so accurately when the sky and the stars are a big hoax ? What kind of witchcraft do you practice every midnight ?” He asks with a big smile on his face.
His smile is neither genuine nor pleasant. His smile is there to stir up uneasiness and flare the emergency alarm in her. He wears the smile to tell her that he knows her secret.
Mona Megistus’ gaze on him never falters for a second.
“Past, present, future—everything is written in the stars. I only tell what I read without any embellishment.”
Before he could say anything, she rises from her seat and turns her back on him. Her twintails swish before his face and his nose remembers the apple orchard that he visited in Mondstadt years ago.
“Whatever I say will only be a passing wind for you,” she says, sparing one last glance before walking away. “I don’t understand why the Archon of Wisdom favors you so much, Wanderer of Vahumana darshan.”
Mona Megistus waves her hand as she steps out of the cafeteria, her figure no longer visible behind the closed door. Her silhouette in that long black dress lingers in his eyes, bathing in an enigma that disrupts his peace of mind.
Wanderer sits still in his seat, staring blankly at the empty chair left by the Astrologist. His right hand unconsciously covers his face as he starts laughing, catching the attention of people in the cafeteria, and filling the air with an eerie chill.
Damn, he wanted to scare her, possibly blackmail her about her secret.
Yet, how did she find out about his secret instead?
As expected.
As he has suspected since he first laid eyes on her.
Not only her appearance, but truly, Mona Megistus is, in fact, a witch .
There is no other explanation for her bizarre behavior. There is no logical explanation for how she discovered his well-hidden secret.
Most importantly, he knew. He just knew since the first time seeing her in the library. She has been bugging his mind since day one.
Something is definitely off with this girl. He cannot be wrong.
・・・━━━☂★━━━・・・
“About time you show up,” she says without a hint of surprise.
The sun has set. The lingering orange hue, that was dimming with each tick of the clock, has completely been swallowed by darkness.
Wanderer has extended his hand, blocking off the path of the Rtawahist exchange student to a certain section near the library.
Mona Megistus' eyes are bright and fearless. She is meeting his gaze without an ounce of penance. Those jade-green orbs are telling him what she is thinking; that she thinks that she is not doing anything wrong.
Wanderer snorts.
"How did you know that the Restricted Repository has information about the fake sky?" He asks, keeping his guard up.
They are standing in front of the entrance to the Restricted Repository, face to face in uncomfortable proximity. Their hats clash but neither back off. Mona Megistus has her hand on the doorknob. Wanderer has his hand next to her neck, slamming the door shut.
"Just want to take a peek," she answers, shrugging her shoulders; her hand never leaves the doorknob.
She did not answer his question. Oh well, it does not matter.
"Did you consult your stars to find the loophole in the Restricted Repository’s security?" He asks, not nicely.
"Regardless of how, you never have the intention of reporting me to the authorities," she replies, the corner of her pink lips hiking up playfully.
She has no intention of answering his question.
Wanderer cannot help but reply with an equivalent smile. He lowers his hand, grabbing her hand that is on the doorknob, peeling it away, and maintaining eye contact the whole time. Then, he turns away from the girl with pretty green eyes, taking a few steps to distance himself from her.
"The matra will be here soon," he says, glancing outside to the window. “A piece of advice to the honor student. You better look elsewhere.”
Mona Megistus follows his line of sight, to the window where the commotion has subsided, towards the doorknob of the restricted portion of Sumeru Akademiya.
“You won’t find what you’re looking for there,” he says.
Mona Megistus hums. “You sure know a lot, senior,” she says without the respect a junior should have. “Care to invite me to the Sanctuary of Surasthana?”
Wanderer snorts at his uncute junior. “Fake starry sky? Anyone not ignorant of the world should have long known about it,” he says, then getting a disapproving look from her because of his blatant lie.
Wanderer smirks, satisfied with her reaction. He wants to add more fuel to the fire.
“Also, anyone not ignorant of the rules of Akademiya should know that a witch engaging in suspicious witchcraft is on death row.”
The glint in her bright eyes is as fierce as the lightning that rains on the Amakumo Peak.
“A witch, huh,” she mumbles, tucking her hand under her chin, grazing the brim of her big hat. Her lips curve into an enigmatic smile that captures the souls of people who dare take a look. “I bet the witch does some remarkable feats that caught the attention of some ignorant fools . Say, accurately predicting the future?” She says, purposely trailing the end of her last word.
Wanderer watches her every move like a hawk. The way she steps closer to him with feather-light steps as if she is not walking on the ground. His heart is thumping in his rib cage—with a thrill that accelerates the flow of his blood.
“—or disappearing into a puddle of water at the exact same time every night.”
An involuntary gulp. His Adam's apple bobs as he smiles wider, increasingly amused with this eccentric girl in front of him.
“You knew,” he says. ‘ —that I was watching,’ is what he does not need to say.
Mona Megistus beams at him, brighter than being scorched by the desert sun.
“You should pay more attention next week. The witch is going to do something even more sky-shattering .”
Mona Megistus taps on his shoulder, and he is forced to acknowledge that she is not a midsummer night’s dream that he conjures. She steps away from him, still with that sugary smile that his taste buds rebuff strongly.
“See you never, firstborn of eternity ,” she bids him farewell, waving her hands with a pretend friendliness.
The girl skips to the exit of the library. Her long black dress flutters with her dance-like movement, enjoying the way the wind caresses her entire body, and off she disappears.
The blood in his veins rushes upstream. Her lingering shadow is embedded in his eyes, replaying her mockery of a smile over and over, heating his face in furious crimson.
The witch outsmarted him again.
Sharp people, like the Scribe or the General Mahamatra, might have figured out his relation to the Archon of Sumeru, but none could have connected him with the Goddess of Eternity on a far-off shore. He thought he held her weakness, however, the truth was, she had him on the edge of the plank all this time.
Did the stars in the fake sky show her all his deepest secrets?
Such a meticulous wicked witch, that Mona Megistus.
Wanderer is consumed by an exasperating displeasure. One that is overwhelming his entire being, that brings his hand to clutch the fabric on his chest, trying to pacify the thunderous roar of his heartbeats.
All the more reason for him to remain vigilant for the following week.
・・・━━━☂★━━━・・・
The witch might be fooling him with some bullshit witchcraft, but the words rolling from her tongue are nothing but the truth.
Exactly seven days after their last meeting in front of the Restricted Repository, Wanderer finds himself sitting at the biggest lecture hall in Akademiya. He pulls the chair from the last row and leans back in the chair, observing the single student standing on the podium.
Mona Megistus, the exchange student from Mondstadt, currently affiliated with Rtawahist of Akademiya, is delivering her thesis defense in a public hearing.
Most Akademiya scholars spend years getting past the proposal stage. The selected few shed tears for the ungodly number of revisions before finally cleared for the gallows known as the thesis defense.
How in the name of Kusanalidevi did she accomplish such an impossible feat in her second month at the most prestigious university in the whole of Teyvat? No one has an answer to that question.
Wanderer spots the sages of each darshan and prominent figures of the Rtawahist field are in attendance at the front rows.
Insane. Preposterous. Delusional.
Wanderer buries his face in his palms, displeased with how Mona Megistus’ voice fluently explains the complicated theory in her thesis and how he can understand everything without prior reading. It shows how remarkable that girl is, that people not familiar with her field can understand her explanation.
How in the name of Mahakusaladhamma did she accomplish such an impossible feat in her second month at the most prestigious university in the whole of Teyvat?
Wanderer has an answer.
Mona Megistus, the exchange student from Mondstadt is, in fact, a witch .
Since he first laid eyes on her, he instinctively knew she was more than she let on. His evidence is circumstantial at best, but how could one ignore such an obvious fact?
The way she disappears into the puddle of starry water every night. The eerily hundred percent accuracy of her foretelling. Also, the impossible feat to have an approved thesis during her second-month stay at Akademiya.
Only someone who weaved a pact with the heretics could achieve what she did.
Attempting the forbidden and fearing none.
She must have committed the grave sin dictated by Akademiya.
Wanderer watches her answer a question presented by a jealous senior student. Keeping her composure, she deflects all attacks coming her way. She elaborates thoroughly that the questioner’s dignity is like a tumbleweed rolling with the sands of the desert.
“Any other questions?” She asks from the podium.
She might have achieved the impossible feat, but there is no way he is going to let her think that Akademiya is an easy place.
Wanderer rises from his seat with his right hand raised high.
・・・━━━☂★━━━・・・
This night too, like any other night, Wanderer sits at his window, waiting for the appearance of a certain witch without her signature big hat.
He feels especially ecstatic today after bombarding her with questions during her thesis defense. She managed to defend her hypothesis, obviously, it was an away game for him. He swears the next time they argue in public, he will make her kneel before his superiority.
Right on the dot, she exits the dormitory, slithering down the dim path, away from people’s attention. They have been adhering to this routine religiously for many nights, but not tonight.
When Mona Megistus almost exits the perimeter of their dormitory, she is suddenly whisked away by the wind. Her mouth is plastered by a firm palm and her waist is held by an offending arm.
She is caught by surprise, struggling to break free of the tight hold, when her kidnapper whispers into her ear.
“The Corps of Thirty changes their patrolling route every few months. You’ll get caught with your usual route.”
When he saw the approaching guards from his room on the third floor, he jumped from the window and landed with an air cushion to suppress the noise.
Wanderer drags her under the shadow of the tall stone fence, holding her tightly, wary that she might do something funny. He cautiously listens to the happening on the other side of the fence, spying on the idle chatter of the patrolling Corps of Thirty.
Mona Megistus’ eyes reflect the crescent moon on the clear surface. She takes one look at him after recognizing his voice and ceases her resistance.
They stay stuck to each other for some passing minutes, waiting for the guards to pass them. Only the sound of their steady breathing and nervous heartbeats fills in the big silence between them.
Wanderer feels that his heartbeat is speeding and a sickening nausea is forming in the pit of his stomach. Is it because of the imminent danger of getting caught and being found guilty of some witchcraft? Wanderer normally does not feel such emotion. He couldn't care less if he eventually gets kicked out of Akademiya. He only attended because his aunt, the Archon of Wisdom, duped him into enrolling.
He looks at the girl that he is holding hostage. They are the closest they’ve ever been. The scent of sweet apples and cooling mint assaults his nose. This might be the reason. Everything is this weird girl’s fault. Yeah, things go haywire with Mona Megistus in the equation.
The guards’ footsteps gradually disappear until they can hear no more.
Suddenly, the girl elbows her kidnapper right in the gut, leaving the guy to hiss.
“What a violent thank you,” he says, protecting his gut from another attack. “Didn’t your stars tell you about this?”
Mona Megistus folds her arms.
“I’m not omniscient. Above all, an astrologist should not foretell their own future.”
“What a waste of power.”
Mona Megistus rolls her eyes. What an attitude.
“Anyway, thank you. It would be troublesome if I get caught. They always nag me that going out of the city at this time is dangerous.”
“You’re welcome,” he says with the most annoying smile ever.
Mona Megistus has the audacity to roll her eyes again before she readies herself for her night sprint.
“Wait,” Wanderer says, grabbing her hand and ultimately halting her. He can see the annoyance from her scrunched eyebrows. “Now that I’m here, I’m going totag along to see you violating the rules of Akademiya. Who knows if they need me to stand as a witness at your trial.”
Mona Megistus snorts and shrugs her shoulders. “Oh well, one additional pesky frog does not matter.”
She starts walking normally, not disappearing into a puddle of starry water like she usually does. Wanderer follows right behind her, shy two steps away. They strut the night road of Treasures Street to pass the city gate and into the wilderness.
“What’s your deal picking a fight with me during my thesis defense?” She suddenly breaks the silence.
“You are obnoxious. Your nice senior should teach you some lessons.”
She snorts and mutters something under her breath. Barely audible, but Wanderer knows she’s cursing him. Should he be worried about getting cursed by a witch?
She navigates into the forest, trekking the path with sure footsteps. This must have been where she disappears every night.
“Damp and spooky. Nice camouflage. No one would suspect one or two corpses buried here.”
Mona Megistus rolls her eyes. “What would you do if tonight it becomes three?”
Wanderer laughs at her sense of humor. “Scary,” he says sarcastically and Mona Megistus clicks her tongue.
They pass through the trees along the river, until Mona Megistus stops on her track next to the lake with clear water. The starry sky is reflected on the surface with glitters on each water droplet.
Mona Megistus uncovers her big luggage, a shiny telescope that she sets up with practiced ease.
A telescope. That’s not witchy. That’s scientific.
“Welcome to my witch gathering,” she snickers, presenting the scenic night view with pride. “My professor told me about this place. The best place to stargaze.”
Wanderer examines the telescope. It’s the real deal. Looks like it cost a huge fortune.
“That mysterious sack you got from the trinket shop is a telescope,” he comments.
Mona Megistus looks horrified. “Damn, you've been stalking me since that day?”
Actually much earlier than that, since the day he first saw her in the library. She does not need to know if she doesn’t already.
Wanderer makes an exaggerated disgusted face. “Drop your arrogance. It’s disgusting.”
Mona Megistus sticks out her tongue.
It seems she is not averse to answering his question, so he fires off another question.
“What’s the deal with your thesis? Two months is not even remotely possible to finish writing a thesis.”
Indeed, most scholars dedicate their youth to getting approval, especially him as he needs his strict aunt’s stamp of approval.
“I’ve been working on it with my professor back in Mondstadt and the researchers here in Akademiya. It just happened to be finished when I’m here, so why not submit it, right?”
Wanderer is speechless. He is even more taken aback when she whips out an apple from her pocket and begins to munch it like a snack.
“What about your suffocating black dress and absurd big hat? It’s an absurdly stupid choice for Sumeru weather.”
“It’s my battle suit. I look stunning and dignified with an imposing long black dress, no? The hat is a gift from my professor. She likes choosing hats for me.”
“But you’re wearing a plain old hoodie outside of the Akademiya.”
“Why should I dress up on my off hours?”
This girl makes no sense to him.
While he is agonizing with rationalizing her behavior, she has shifted her focus from him to the above.
The crescent moon is hanging in the middle of the bright lake. The stars are glittering in the darkness before the dawn breaks. Above all, he finds her eyes to be the most dazzling. Those pale green eyes bewitch him, forbidding him from looking away.
Wanderer gives up. She will bug his mind forever and there is nothing he can do about it.
“I thought you were a witch,” he confesses.
She takes no offense in his statement.
“I’m a genius astrologist.”
The confidence to self-proclaim oneself as a genius, he wonders where she picked it up.
Mona Megistus turns her head to him, peeling her loving gaze upon the stars to look at his blue eyes. Her hands do a circular motion, conjuring an astrolabe made of water.
“I’ll read your fortune. What do you wish to know?”
A constellation depicting a lone puppet holding a heart appears in the water. She does not explain anything, but he knows that she is taking a peek at his stars.
“You,” he answers honestly and he gets the reaction he wished for.
Mona Megistus is stunned, eyebrows scrunched and mouth agape at his unexpected answer. Her hands falter as the astrolabe perishes from its shape back to water.
“I want to know you,” he repeats his answer.
—and this feeling, that is akin to curiosity but is not really curiosity, that he has felt since he first saw her.
Mona Megistus, the exchange student from Mondstadt, currently affiliated with Rtawahist Darshan, is indeed a witch who has taken possession of his heart since he first laid his eyes on her—but, that is a fact he will discover much later.
・・・━━━☂★━━━・・・