Chapter Text
“How do I look?” The redhead asked as he readjusted his tie for the tenth time.
“Like the most handsome boy in the world,” Adelinde cheerfully replied from behind while he was checking himself in the body mirror.
Diluc could barely stifle an eyeroll with the comment. He knew she was acting familial because nobody else was present, but this was a serious matter.
“I have been personally invited to a ‘tea party’ by one of the most powerful witches in Teyvat, Addie. I do not only present myself or the Dawn Winery, but this also affects Hexenzerkil’s relationship with Mondstadt. ‘Most handsome boy in the world’ is not sufficient.”
“Turn around.” She ordered, and Diluc turned to face her without objection.
She had to stand on her tiptoes to flatten the shoulders of his jacket, then subtly took out the pocket square to make it more noticeable.
“Looking professional.” She concluded. “But are you sure about the color choice? I still believe the red theme is the better alternative. Plus, you know Lady Alice’s preference for the color. It also suits you better than the…” She eyed him up and down. “Full black.”
“My shirt is white,” he countered.
“Master Diluc, that is gray.” She placed one hand on her hip.
“It is adequate,” he tried to drop the topic.
“You just admitted that you had to present yourself the best in front of one of the most powe-”
Diluc sighed. “It is too late to change my attire, anyway.”
Diluc could have sworn hearing her grumbling under her breath, something along the lines of ‘It wouldn’t be if you listened to me in the first place.’
“I didn’t catch that, Addie.”
“I said nothing, Master Diluc.” She replied innocently.
Liar!
“When will you be back?” She changed the subject. “Do you want dinner to be ready by your return?”
“Truthfully? I am not sure,” he reluctantly answered. “The letter is legit, it is hers. But it didn’t contain any information. I only know that it will be a tea party, and a vehicle will be waiting for me in front of the Dawn Winery at fifteen o’clock sharp.” He said as he checked the time one last time.
Half an hour left.
“You know what? Don’t wait for me, I don’t know how long this will last.” He added lastly.
“Any other guests?” She asked, confused.
“Maybe her daughter?” He replied, sharing the same puzzled tone. “In one of her old letters, she mentioned that she was grateful for how I treated Klee back in the day. I assumed this was a courtesy regarding that event.”
Then he went to retrieve cologne from his drawer, hoping he wasn’t as smelly as he thought he was.
“It is fine,” the maid reassured, as if reading his mind. “Don’t forget the gift before departing.”
“I won’t,” he tried not to sound annoyed. Of course, he wouldn’t forget the gift.
A fine bottle of wine from their vintage collection for the sorceress and an imported toy from Sumeru for Klee in case she attended the event. Spinning top: a wooden ball coiled around with a rope to throw and spin. Diluc couldn’t really find the fun in the game, but maybe the Spark Knight would appreciate it.
With his remaining time, he tried to make sure there were no flaws in his exterior. Even going so far as to store a few beauty products and spare clothes in his Vision space.
Safety measures.
When he checked the time umpteenth time, he decided to wait for the vehicle outside. But before he could open the front door, he was stopped in his tracks by a certain maid loudly clearing her throat.
Diluc turned to see why she was acting dramatically, only to be flushed with embarrassment in an instant. She was holding the gift bag with a smug look on her face that was saying: ‘I told you so.’
He bowed his head, silently grabbed the item, then speed-walked out the door.
“Ah, Master Diluc!” The old man Tunner called the tycoon from among the vines.
“Good afternoon, Tunner.” He professionally replied with practiced politeness. “I hope you are not overworking yourself.”
“Nonsense, Master Diluc.” He said while approaching the man in black. “I am always happy to serve the owner of the winery, you know that.”
The redhead nodded and sat by one of the tables stationed outside. “Would you like to join me until my carriage arrives?”
“Carriage? May I ask what the occasion is?” He asked, still standing up in front of the seated man.
“Just a business meeting, nothing to it.” He dismissively replied. He didn’t need to announce that he was going to meet with Alice herself.
“That is good to hear. Unfortunately, I will have to decline the generous offer, I still have a job to do.”
Diluc internally sighed and put on a confident mask. “Of course, Tunner. Don’t let me hold you up.”
The truth was, he needed some sort of distraction to stop this jittery feeling that made it almost impossible to sit still. Maybe he should pace around? No, he would look silly in front of his staff; he needed to calm down.
What was the reason for this sudden invitation? To his knowledge, everything had been handled after the recent invasion of Mondstadt. For months, he hadn’t encountered any foul play in his scouts nor received any intel that could implicate a danger to Mondstadt’s security.
So why?
The letter only said that this was a simple tea party. Did the sorceress simply miss her daughter and want Diluc to be present at the event? That seemed plausible, but Diluc could feel he was missing some important detail.
His train of thought was interrupted when he felt a sudden change in the wind current.
The redhead frowned and subtly looked around to instinctively try to find an immediate threat. Then, after he was sure there was nothing in the area, he decided to check the clouds to see if this was a weather phenomenon. But that couldn’t be… Since the sun was ever present and the summer was feeling exceptionally drought. So what caused this sudd-
Diluc shot up to his feet and summoned his weapon when he saw a flying object approaching the winery.
What even was this? Even with the perspective from a distance, it looked like a huge air balloon. Was it a new Abyss Order device? The object had a face, which looked like an agitated animal roaring or shouting. Diluc tried to remember which animal possessed the same red and white colors.
“Everyone inside!” He shouted and ignited his weapon to protect the staff. From the corner of his eye, he could see people scurrying to the building after Diluc’s orders, but the redhead refused to remove his gaze from the giant flying object that was still persistent in its attempts to come closer.
Was it automated? Diluc could see that it was big enough to hold several people inside itself, so maybe there were enemies hiding?
Even though he was tempted to burn the item to the ground by sending a well-aimed phoenix of Pyro, he held himself back.
Wait…
Now that the unknown object was closer, he could see the resemblance in design to Klee’s bombs. Was it Jumpy Jumpy? He wasn’t sure what the pyromaniac decided to name her bombs, but the object looked like her bombs, albeit a lot bigger and for some reason angry.
He reluctantly lowered his weapon but didn’t dare to lay down his guard as he slowly approached the object’s eventual landing spot. Thankfully, its destination was outside of the winery’s borders.
Finally, the thing landed in a secure area on the dirt path in front of his abode. When the redhead inched closer to size the object, he realized that it was easily four meters tall. A giant, agitated Dodoco creature was towering over the very confused tycoon.
Its mouth was an entrance to an enclosed room, and the object itself seemed sturdy enough with what Diluc assumed to be clay as its construction material.
“Welcome, dear!” A feminine and lighthearted voice originating from the mouth of the creature made the redhead jump backwards, almost to the point of stumbling and toppling over, but he maintained his balance. Still, his claymore was pointing ahead, directly at the clay beast.
The voice giggled. “No need to be jumpy. Here is your vehicle. I hope you enjoy your ride.”
Dumbfounded, Diluc investigated the item once more. Then he found the courage to call for the voice. “Alice?”
“I am offended…” She tutted. “You had already forgotten about me? And here I was, looking forward to our tea party.”
“I…” Then he dismissed his weapon and straightened himself, not to cause further embarrassment. “I was not expecting this method of transportation, is all. I apologize for my bad manners.”
“Oh, I was merely jesting, dear. Now go on, I am so excited that we are all coming together!”
We?
Was the other person Klee? Were there other people? He supposed he could answer his questions if he… boarded this flying device?
“How do I…” He trailed off, still cautiously eyeing the object.
“Oh, just enter through the mouth and enjoy your journey!”
Okay…
The entrance was elevated somewhere even higher than his tall stature. At least one of the feet of the device was directly next to the mouth, which could be used as a stepping stone to climb up, but he still had to hoist himself up from the chest.
He sighed and accepted the fact that he had to go through with this light exercise in his fresh clothing, and internally grumbled as he resigned to his fate.
Alice didn’t comment further. Was it because she was truly gone? Or was it because she chose to stay silent? It was never easy to tell when it came to Alice.
When he finally crawled into a cozy corner inside the claustrophobic room, the mouth suddenly snapped shut, causing the redhead to flinch once again. This time, he was completely engulfed in the utter darkness, leaving him as blind as a bat in the lonely enclosed space.
This wasn’t a trap… right?
It couldn’t be; he already confirmed everything. The letter was from Alice, and this flying device could only be from those witches. He didn’t spot any Anemi slime that could carry this object into the skies, or he didn’t see any Fontainian tech to propel it upwards. The device simply… flew without external influence.
He sighed and waited for the eventual motion that surprisingly never came. Wasn’t this supposed to carry him to the party location? Why was he still stationary?
There were no tremors or the feeling of sudden elevation. The device just stubbornly stood in its place, refusing to transport the redhead to his meeting.
Was it broken?
“Alice?” He asked to empty the air. Then waited for the cheerful disembodied voice.
No answer.
Should he force his way out? If the device were broken, he would be wasting his time in this dark room. But he was reluctant to damage something that belonged to the powerful sorceress, so he waited some more.
As seconds passed, his restlessness grew. Diluc raised one knee and rested his elbow on it. Then, after two seconds, he decided that this position was uncomfortable, so he spread both legs forward. But once again, he was uncomfortable.
Staying still was never his strong suit, especially considering he was now stuck inside a small, dark room with no visible exit, he allowed himself to feel a little anxious. This was just a simple survival instinct.
Don’t get trapped.
Then the mouth suddenly slid open with a loud metallic clank, revealing a very stark lamination difference between the room and the outside world. Diluc winced as he tried to stop his blinking reflex, only to fail in a second.
He put a hand on his eye to create a small shade as his eyes adjusted to the afternoon sun, as he slowly made his way out of the vehicle.
His eyes widened in disbelief when he noticed that he wasn’t anywhere near the winery. The device did move, but he just didn’t notice it.
How?
At the moment, he was staring at a table in the middle of a nice shore. The waves peacefully swayed over the sand as the sound of seagulls in the distance created a perfect vacation atmosphere. The palm trees in the distance were the final clue that made him sure that he definitely wasn’t in Mondstadt.
The table in the middle was gigantic and rectangular, with amazing woodcarving craftsmanship. However, despite its size, it only had four chairs stationed beside it.
Four?
One was for him, the other was for Alice. So the others should belong to Klee and her elder brother, Albedo. He cursed himself for not considering the man attending this event.
He jumped outside the vehicle and stretched since he was finally allowed to move freely. While he was investigating his surroundings, he noticed another vehicle flying above, another device that looked similar to the one he boarded.
This time, he overrode his reflexes and kept his cool as the device quickly approached the beach. The redhead patiently waited for it to land on the other side, sandwiching the table as the angry Dodocos faced each other.
‘This is probably Klee and Albedo’s vehicle,’ he thought to himself.
And he was correct in his assumptions, but not fully.
Because he wasn’t expecting an obnoxious, blue-haired, tall man with an impish grin and an eyepatch emerging from the vehicle.
“Albedo is the best!” A young girl excitedly shouted while rushing outside right after Kaeya. “So when we-” She cut herself as soon as she saw Diluc on the other side. “It is the weird grown-up!”
“Yes, Klee, it is.” Kaeya butted in. “My, I wouldn’t even dare to imagine Master Diluc traveling in style in- What was it called again, Klee?” He smiled while still not removing his gaze from the redhead.
“Dodofortress!” The little elf jumped up and down.
“Right,” Kaeya grinned. Diluc could easily call bull on his act, Kaeya had a good memory, and he obviously didn’t forget that ridiculous name. “Master Diluc, can you share your journey with our lovely Klee?”
The redhead was about to cross his arms and huff in annoyance, but then he remembered that he unfortunately had to keep a professional front. But then the blunette kneeled to Klee’s ear and whispered something while keeping his devilish smile.
“Is this true?” Klee shouted and ran to his side. Diluc frowned, confused, and looked at Kaeya for context, but the man acted like he was enthralled by the ocean view.
“Um… Is what true, Klee?” He had to ask.
But Klee ignored the tycoon and instead took out several items from her backpack and handed one of them to Diluc.
“I also love Dodoco! They are the best! Mom says that I have the cutest friend. This one is Dodo Super Fuse twenty-two!”
Diluc was about to voice his questions, but the girl continued. “When did you meet Dodoco? She is my bestest friend! But if you like her, that means you also want bestest friend? You can be friends with her, but please don’t be best friends. If you want a best friend, I can help you make one! Mom made Dodoco, but she is the best!”
“I…”
“How did you find Dodofortress? Mom made that one! It can also turn into a dangerous machine that we can play against! Do you know th-”
Diluc slowly shifted Dodo Super Fuse twenty-two to his other hand and tried to reach for the girl to calm her down. It was getting exceedingly hard to match her energy. But Klee suddenly gasped.
“Don’t!”
Diluc stopped in his tracks. “Don’t what?”
“Dodo Super Fuse twenty-two is super reactive to water, and you were going to put it down to the sand so close to the waves!”
He wasn’t actually going to set the item down; he just moved it to his other hand, but what did she mean when she-
This was a bomb.
Kaeya suddenly materialized next to the duo. “Klee, what did we say about handing bombs to people?”
The Spark Knight looked sullen and embarrassed to be caught in a naughty act. She held her hands together and slightly swayed as she tried to look cuter. “That I shouldn’t?”
“Now, I will act like I didn’t see this one. Just take your Dodo Super Fuse twenty-two from the weird grown-up and go to your brother’s side, okay?”
Enough with the weird grown-up!
She grabbed the bomb from his hand carefully but swiftly, then she ran to Albedo’s side, who was seated on a chair, simply observing Klee from afar.
Diluc got to his feet and tried to dust the sand from his trousers. If he knew he would be coming to a beach, he wouldn’t wear all black! Now the stains were going to be even more obvious.
“Didn’t know you were coming,” Kaeya commented as Diluc tried to look more presentable.
Diluc grunted as a reply. He wasn’t in the mood for idle chatter. He never was in the mood for idle chatter, he simply despised it. But Kaeya continued.
“Do you have an idea why Alice invited us?”
Diluc frowned and faced the blunette. He was dressed in a nice blue suit, he had a gaudy fox tail around his neck, and his shirt was indecently revealing his chest.
He had to ignore the obnoxious outfit and tried to read his face for any sort of tell that could indicate a play, but he couldn’t find one. Was Kaeya genuinely as clueless as he was, or was he excellent at hiding it?
“I only received a mail.” He replied honestly, but tried to keep his tone even so as to make the other think he was holding back information. He wasn’t going to admit to that jerk that he didn’t know anything.
“I see.” Kaeya mischievously smiled. Did he already see through his act?
So instead, he grumbled and made his way to the table to join Albedo and Klee.
“Good afternoon, Master Diluc.” Albedo greeted him when he sat down across the siblings. Kaeya sat in the chair next to the redhead since it was the only available place.
“Good Afternoon, Sir Albedo.”
Then the conversation died down. He could ask about the recent events after the invasion since Albedo was directly involved, but he didn’t want to start a long conversation while waiting for Alice. He also already knew more than an average citizen.
Kaeya and Albedo kept Klee busy while the energetic girl couldn’t stay in one place during their wait. It was weird seeing the blunette being so affectionate towards someone, like she was his own sister.
Not like he was jealous or anything.
Suddenly, at the head of the table, a fluffy rabbit-like toy appeared. Or, now that he thought about it, the creature was Dodoco-like, in Klee’s terms. The toy wore a red giant witch hat that covered one ear and partially obscured one of the lifeless dot eyes.
“Mommy!” Klee immediately ignored the others’ attention and rushed to her mother’s side.
Was she not going to attend in person?
It was very on brand for the sorceress, but still, it was very rude, especially considering everyone else showed up instead of using that Dodoco communication device.
He was already sick of the Dodoco theme.
“Oh, welcome, dear. Mommy missed you so much! Were you behaving yourself?”
“Klee was the best girl!”
“Well done, my love!” The toy giggled, though Diluc didn’t see the upside-down ‘v’ shaped mouth changing its shape. Then the furry white-red tail of the toy tickled the nose of the little elf.
“Mommy! Stop it!” Klee giggled as she copied her mother, then gleefully swatted the tail away using both of her hands.
“What about the rest of you? Albedo? Kaeya? Diluc? I hope you are faring well?”
The trio looked at each other, waiting to see if someone wanted to take the initiative, then Albedo spoke up. “I am fine, Aunt Alice. I am focusing on my research, and Klee has been helping me.”
“Yes! Klee helps!”
“Oh, I am so happy to hear that.” Then the toy faced Kaeya, “And you play with my dear, right? Fish blasting? Klee’s eyes are filled with joy every time she tells me about them!”
Kaeya looked somewhat bashful when he bowed his head and rubbed his neck. ”I also enjoy my time whenever we play, but remember, Klee, and I don’t want to look like a bad influence here, but Jean doesn’t enjoy that game. So I hope you tell our fun times to your mom only?”
“Mom only!” She confirmed. “Kaeya taught Klee how to lie good! Jean doesn’t know.” Then she averted her gaze. “Most of the time… Klee sometimes gets excited.”
Teaching… how to lie? Was Kaeya teaching that girl how to deceive? Diluc tried to exhale through his nose to calm down.
“That is considered a commendable skill, Klee.” Diluc bitterly barged in while staring at his brother.
Kaeya took his gaze head-on and stared back. “I am glad you agree, Master Diluc.”
“Oh my,” Alice intervened. “Let’s have tea, shall we?”
Diluc broke eye contact and nodded at the toy. “Of course, I cannot wait.” He tried to sound enthusiastic.
However, in reality, everything went awry until thus far. He was immensely disappointed to see the identities of other guests, or rather one guest in specific, and Alice didn’t even bother coming here. This was just a play meeting for Klee, and they were all just babysitters.
“Can Klee have juice instead of tea? Lisa makes tea all the time, but it is too bitter for Klee… even when I add honey.”
“Of course!” Alice wagged her tail, and four teacups appeared in front of everyone except Klee, who wasn’t even seated in her chair. Diluc suspiciously eyed the hot liquid in front of the toy, wondering how Alice was going to drink it. Then elected to ignore it and focused on his own black tea.
“But you should sit down, Klee.” Alice gestured for the empty chair. “There will be juice there. Just think of your favorite one and close your eyes, my dear.”
“Okay!” The little elf ran to her chair next to Albedo and climbed up because of her short height. Then she clasped her hands together in front of her face and squeezed her eyes shut.
Alice chuckled and wagged her tail to conjure a glass of juice in front of her daughter. “You can open your eyes now.”
Diluc had no idea what juice that was, even though he was educated in mixology. The liquid was unnaturally rainbow-colored and shining. Magic was involved, that was for sure.
“Mom is the best!” Klee declared and grabbed her glass with both her hands. Then she failed to catch the straw with her mouth in the first few attempts before drinking her juice contentedly. The redhead couldn’t see under the table, but from the subtle movements of the girl, he could imagine her swinging her short legs back and forth.
“You are quite fortunate, Klee.” Kaeya smiled affectionately at the girl, and the latter giggled in response.
Kaeya did look like he really loved the girl… Even though he would never admit it out loud, it warmed his heart.
So instead of watching the scene and feeling weirdly disturbed, he took a sip from his cup. At least the tea was tasty, it wasn’t exactly a waste of time.
“Thank you for your hospitality, Aunt Alice,” Albedo spoke up. “The tea is delightful.”
“I am so happy to hear that! But I am more than happy that you all accepted my invitation. Nothing beats drinking tea with friends.”
Diluc almost scoffed. “You are correct, Miss Alice. Nothing beats drinking tea with friends.” He didn’t even try to hide the resentment from his tone.
He didn’t look to his side, but he heard Kaeya setting his cup gently on the table. “Is it getting a bit cold here?” Kaeya asked everyone else. “I felt a little chilly all of a sudden.”
“Kaeya?” Klee asked, confused. “It is very hot, why are you cold? Is it because of your Vision?”
Then Alice said something so sudden that it made Diluc choke on his tea. “No dear, it is because Diluc shared his discontent with Kaeya, and he responded with a quip.”
The redhead pounded his chest slightly to stop his wheezing while trying to recompose himself, but it seemed he wasn’t the only one startled by the remark. Kaeya’s carefully crafted mask briefly crumbled and revealed a very surprised man behind.
“Discontent?” Klee repeated. “Qoop?”
“Quip, dear.” Alice corrected. “It is like poking someone to hurt, but with your words. And discontent is unhappiness.”
“Why?” Klee looked genuinely heartbroken. “Weird grown-up is unhappy with Kaeya, and Kaeya poked weird grown-up to hurt him?”
Kaeya tried to say something before things escalated. “I didn’t poke anyone, little spark. It is alright, nobody is unhappy.”
“Is this still going on?” Alice sounded so eerily calm. Diluc didn’t even know this woman could sound anything but cheery; that was how he always heard her.
Then the toy jumped in its place, and a literal light bulb appeared above the fluffy bunny. “Do you want to play a game, dear?”
Diluc heard Albedo sighing under his breath.
“I love games!” Klee got up and started jumping.
“Before we play, I need to ask you one thing. And you will answer the best you can, are you ready, dear?”
“Yes! Klee will answer the best!”
Alice giggled and turned to Albedo. “What do you think of Albedo? Like a family member, I mean.”
“Family?” Klee stopped and put a finger on her chin as she thought carefully. “Oh! I found it!” She jumped again. “Albedo is the best. He is the best big brother, and he always looks after me. I look after him, too! When Klee does something wrong, he smiles and tells me what I did wrong. He makes me happy and I love him!”
“Is that so?” Alice said, looking at the brothers on the other side of the table. Diluc could almost see a mischievous smile on that expressionless toy face. “That was a great answer, my love. Now, let’s play that game.”
This time, the toy definitely smiled, Diluc saw its grin reaching the pointy ears. He was about to ask what Alice was thinking, but then he was lifted into the air.
“Hey!” He complained as his limbs swayed, trying to find a solid surface to hang onto. But it was in vain, he was floating against his will.
“What ar-” He started, but then the world around him began to spin dizzyingly fast. Was he the one spinning or the island underneath? He felt sick and started to lose his vision as everything blurred together in a shapeless blob.
Then everything stopped, and he fell down on the ground disgracefully with a loud thud. He groaned and rubbed his back, but the nausea still continued to make itself present. So he was unable to open his eyes while trying to gather his composure and balance.
“Whuh…” He meekly croaked and then fell silent again. He didn’t like how weak he sounded.
What have you done! Something roared. Something very, very far away, it sounded like it came from above the skies.
And it sounded like Kaeya’s voice?
He tried to open his eyes to understand, but the world wobbled before him as soon as he attempted to do that, so he squeezed his eyes again, this time holding his head.
Nothing. He is here. Another voice boomed from the skies, Alice’s voice.
Weird grown-up toy! Klee’s voice thundered. As soon as she spoke, Diluc felt slight tremors below him.
What was happening?
Do not worry, Kaeya. Aunt Alice wouldn’t hurt Diluc. This is harmless, I would know.
Finally, he was starting to feel better after a few seconds, so once again he dared to open his eyes, and…
Alone.
He was on the ground in a forest, all alone. But he heard their voices just now? He looked around to find any sort of clues, but got more confused as a result.
He was sure the sun was above the horizon while he was at the party, but right now the night had already settled. The stars were hidden behind the clouds, and only the luminescent moon shone through the obstacles.
There was nothing around but the trees. He could hear the wildlife around him, like the bugs creating a loud ruckus, the shuffling of leaves from the winds, and silent echoes within the trees.
Turn him back! Kaeya demanded from above the clouds. Diluc took a startled step back and looked at the sky, but couldn’t see the blunette.
“Hello?” He shouted to the skies, unsure of how to get their attention.
Diluc? You are conscious? His brother asked, baffled.
Why wouldn’t he be?
Allow me to explain. Alice’s voice echoed through the endless space. It was as if he were listening in on a divine conversation. It made him feel very unsettled. Reality is never how it appears. That is what my good friend B always preaches. Right now, you see Diluc as a wooden figurine on the game board, but to him, he is in a grand new world.
Wooden figurine?
Klee, dear. We will play a game. You know how powerful a fighter Diluc is, right? He heard Alice speaking beyond the clouds.
Yes! Klee shouted, and another earthquake made him slightly lose his balance. Was it because Klee was jumping?
Give him the hardest challenge you can think of! Alice concluded. Diluc could almost hear a smirk in that sentence.
Before things spiraled out of control, he tried to voice his concern. “Miss Alice, I h-”
Just Alice, dear!
He exhaled deeply and tried again. “Alice, I have to decline going through with this game.”
And break poor Klee’s heart? At least see the first challenge! Alice pleaded, but Diluc could tell she had no intention of stopping this.
Klee, let’s be reasonable here, okay? He heard Kaeya talking calmly. As if… he was nervous?
I found it! Ten, no! Twenty big dogs, but ugly dogs, enemies of Dodoco. They get out of the trees and run at the weird grown-up.
Then the time stopped, literally. He felt himself unable to move a single muscle as he was forced to stand still. Then Alice spoke up.
Once upon a time, there was a brave warrior with a burning heart. This warrior came from a very long distance to arrive at a small town. On his way, he defeated countless monsters and saved many those in need-
Was she… narrating?
On his way through the forest, the warrior suddenly stopped and listened to his surroundings. There was no doubt about it, he had company. And these ones were not friendly.
Finally, he was allowed to move again, but his reflexes kicked in as soon as he heard shuffling in the shadows. He summoned his weapon and silently waited.
First, a wolf-like creature jumped from the darkness, growling at the redhead. It studied the man before him, trying to understand if he was a threat, and Diluc tried his best not to look intimidating to the wild animal.
Wild animal was actually the understatement of the century, because this wolf was as big as a horse, and it had enormous and extremely sharp canines. It had foams at the corners of its mouth like it had rabies, and its legs were as proportionally tall as hounds. He could handle one of these weird creatures, but Klee said there were twenty, so he stood as silently as possible.
Then the oversized dog howled, and countless similar ones jumped from the shadows.
Just great…