《Mondstadt: The City Of Freedom》
Act I: The Outlander Who Caught the Wind

Before you read, I did some minor editing on the the 00 chapter, please reread that first before reading this one to avoid confusion

『Author Mana』

✦ • * * • · . °

"So... what you're trying to say is that you fell here from another world?

But when you wanted to leave and go on to the next world... Your path was blocked by some unknown god?"

Three months has passed since she met him when he first woke up from his slumber only to find out that his only kin was nowhere to be found. All alone on a world that is unknown to him.

That was his original fate if (Y/n) didn't interfered. The former Adeptus took it upon herself to serve as a aid for him. To change the course of a potential destruction in the future.

But she couldn't forget her main goal. For the promise she made for her, she vowed to prioritize The blonde Outlander's safety above anything else during his journey around Teyvat.

Three months was all it takes to gain his trust. Two months to determine whether Paimon is a threat or not. With her existence interfering her Oracle abilities, the floating little girl remained a mystery. Paimon became a friend, seemingly having no goal what so ever besides declaring herself to be his guide, (Y/n) decided to lower her guard around her, but she was still wary.

Three months of teaching the blonde about Teyvat, he seems ready to start on his journey. Thus him, finally decided on telling the two of how he got separated from his twin sister.

The same story that (Y/n) heard from his kin's perspective.

"And just like that, the god took away my sister. Some kind of seal was casted upon me, and I lost my power." The Traveler told, holding a piece of tree branch as he drew the past events on the sand. "So why we used to travel from one world to another, we are now trapped here..."

"How many years was it? I don't know... But I intend to find out." He then stated, staring at his gloved covered hands before clenching them into a fist. Determination sparking through his golden yellow eyes. He looked at (Y/n) and smiled. "When I woke, (Y/n) was the first person I saw. She'd been helping me since then. Before I met you, two months ago."

The last was said directly towards Paimon, who scratched her head, recalling how he had found her. "Yeah. Paimon really owes you two for that or Paimon would have drowned, so Paimon will do her best to be a great guide!"

(Y/n) gently laughed, seeing how enthusiastic the floating white haired girl is. She then turned to Aether. "Then I will certainly need to be a better aid if Paimon will do her best too, Traveler."

"Thank you, you're nothing but kind to me." He returned her gestured, before looking right ahead of him, pinkish hues on the sea of clouds as the sun rises up to the sky.

A perfect view to start off a journey.

"Come on, you two! We should head off!" Paimon exclaimed, floating away before waving the two to catch up.

"You heard her." The Traveler then sees a hand out stretched towards him. (Y/n) offered a hand to him, her ever so gentle eyes met with his, a soft smile plastered on her face. The sea breeze gently blew her hair out of her face, not to mention the light of sunshine made her figure somehow glow.

He didn't hesistate to grab hers, as he stood up from his place before going to the direction Paimon went, hand in hand with the graceful maiden who decided to join him on his journey.

✦ • * * • · . °

"-A vision is proof that the gods acknowledge your strength." (Y/n) was currently explaining what was a vision is all about, seeing how The Outlander asked what was the glowing blue ornament with the symbol of water that was attached on the fabric of her dress. "It allows a user to wield one of the elements of the world. Only a few are vision holders."

"I see. I think I understand it." The blonde nodded.

"So the gods recognised your strength. Are you really that strong?!" Paimon asked, seemingly facinated. "Can you make huge waves to drown your enemies?! Oooh, Paimon is a little scared now that I think about it."

"I don't think I have that enough strength to create tsunamies, Paimon. I'm not the Overlord of the Vortex." (Y/n) sighed. "For I use my vision for the sake of others only. I would not do something rather reckless as cause chaos like that."

"That was just a guess you know!" Paimon pouted, before floating up ahead. Now on a cliff above the marvelous view of Starfell Valley, the floating guide pointed towards a statue in the middle of a lake. "That's a statue of seven! There are a few of these statues scattered across the land to show the seven's protection over the world."

"That is the statue of Barbatos, the god of wind." (Y/n) added. "Barbatos is the god of freedom, and Mondstadt is the city under his protection. But I could not see him being the same god who you're searching for. Barbatos is a free spirited archon, he would not dare to do something as taking your sister away."

"Paimon think so too but whether or not Paimon will take you to the anemo god and there's a reason why~" Paimon stated as she began leading the traveler and the former adeptus to the Starfell Lake where the Statue of the seven, Barbatos stood.

The Huli Jing went on ahead, walking on the water as if if was nothing. This caused her two companions to gawked in shock. Paimon being the first one to return back to reality and demanded. "H-how are you doing that?! Walking on water like you're just walking on grass!"

"Perks of having a vision." A mischevious glint was visible on her eyes as she glance back with an amused smirk. "Come on now, Traveler. We're wasting precious time."

Unfortunately for The Traveler, he couldn't walk like how (Y/n) did so he had to swim. Now Reaching the statue he looked at it in wonder and curiosity.

"Touch the statue." (Y/n) instructed. "Perhaps you may find something rather useful on your journey."

He nodded, slowly walking towards the statue and gently placed his hand. Thats when he felt it, the element of wind.

The orb that Barbatos was holding glow a bright teal as a soon as he touched the statue. The symbol of Anemo flew from the orb into his clothes. His once dull accessories glow teal, showing that he was now able to use the power of anemo. The male stared at his hands in awe, feeling his newly found power.

(Y/n) smiled as Paimon approached him, asking whenether he felt the power of the wind and about the statue. She then look back to the city of freedom where their next destination will be.

It won't be long until the dragon of the four winds attack Mondstadt.

"(Y/n)! Come on!" Paimon called out, waving her hands up, trying to get the hydro user's attention. "We're going to Mondstadt to ask around for The Traveler's sister!"

"Ofcourse." (Y/n) nodded and began following the pair.

But then she finally noticed, looking down to her hand, she sees the traveler's gloved hand, interwinded with hers. Looking back to the blond, he didn't seems bothered at all. This made the corner of her lip twitch upwards.

He hasn't realized it but his small gestures is quite similar with his sister back when (Y/n) was still travelling with her. His sister had a habit of holding her hand whenever they would walk through paths, it was a habit of some sort with her twin she said. It brought comfort to one another, to allow them to have a clear thought to make rational decissions.

So seeing the other twin doing the same, brought a warm feeling for (Y/n) yet she couldn't help but feel upset. It clear as day to see how the twins needed each other. They were each other's half. Having the two separated, she could clearly see how lost they were without each other.

She hope that they'll reunite one day, until then, she will continue providing the comfort that the Traveler didn't know that he needed, like how she had provided for Lumine.

But then a thought came in mind making (Y/n) frown.

'What happened five hundred years ago? Where are you, Lumine?'

✦ • * * • · . °

The blonde traveller hasn't let go of her hand even for just a few seconds. (Y/n) remained silent, listening to the floating companion who was telling The Traveler all she knows about Mondstadt, mainly about the delicacies that the city could offer.

Once in a while, she would stop on her tracks to pick up some of the wild ingredients scattered all around them, which includes mushrooms, mints and sweet flowers. The duo watch her in confusion as the Traveler slowly let go of her hand just as she again crouched down.

"That's the fifth time we stopped!" Paimon accused. "What in the world are you doing?! Your making Paimon confused."

"May I remind you that I am the one cooking for you." The fox adeptus gaze met hers making the emergency food flinched. "I'm simply just gathering ingredients for our next meal in advance. Unless you want to starve?"

"It's fine, we're already heading for Mondstadt." her male companion gently told her. "We can just dine in there..."

The Blonde trailed off, realizing that he doesn't even have any mora on him to begin with. He doesn't have any from the moment he woke up on the beach. (Y/n) was the one who always fed him, he just gather some of the ingredients she needed in the wild.

He facepalmed, as Paimon slowly realized it too. "No! We're moraless! My fisherman's toast!"

"Just as I thought..." (Y/n) nodded to herself, not before letting out a "hmph!"

But then her eyes widened, feeling the sudden shift in the wind as a roar came through the air. Next thing she knows,  The Traveler wrapped his arms around her, sheilding her from a huge blue dragon that flew pass them from above.

"What is that?!" Paimon shrieked, hiding behind the Outlander at the sight of the huge ancient beast. "There's something huge, in the sky!"

(Y/n)'s thoughts went blank, drowning the voices of The Traveler and Paimon who were talking to each other. She heard it, as soon as the dragon passed, she heard his voice. His crying voice.

'Dvalin... I heard your cries of pain just now... Were you really in that much pain?...'

As a huli jing, (Y/n) has the ability to understand creatures who was the same as her. To feel and sense the emotions of the living, around her. That's how she heard Dvalin's cries. Somehow hearing him hurt her. She had once met the dragon herself when she once visited Barbatos and Dvalin was nothing but a gentle creature full of childlike wonder.

Oh how did this happen to a child like him?

"(Y/n)!" Her companion was shaking her, snapping back from her thoughts, she was met with worried golden eyes belonging to the blonde traveler. "Are you alright? Did that scared you?"

(Y/n) only shook her head, giving him an assuring smile. "I was just startled... That's all..."

"We can take a break if you want..."Paimon floated towards the two, clearly worried as well.

"It's fine... We can keep moving." To show the two that she is infact fine, she slowly stood up and ran infront of the direction of Whispering woods. She look back and smile "Come on now, you two. We're wasting time here."

The Traveler and Paimon both looked at each other with a little hesistation, not before the blonde shaking his head and jogged to where she had run to.

"Hey! Wait up!" Paimon called, rushing after them as they entered the woods.

Soon enough, the walk was completely silent, other than the fact that (Y/n) was telling the male the edibles that they could possibly find all around them. The blonde nodded with interest. He enjoys listening to the fox adeptus's soothing voice which was as gentle as a flowing river. It somehow calms him down when he was suppose to be frantically worried for his sister's wherebouts. Having (Y/n) around was really pleasant.

"Huh? Look at that!" The two paused when Paimon tried getting their attention, pointing towards a direction with where a strange sound was coming from.

The Outlander's eyes hardened, looking to where the direction was. Holding (Y/n)'s hand with his own gloved ones, he immediately rushed to the sound where the three found an unsual sight.

He hid behind the tree, holding (Y/n) close to him. He placed a finger to his lips, gesturing for her and Paimon to remain silent in which they both nodded. He then slowly leaned and peaked seeing the same dragon from before, but this time with someone.

(Y/n) slowly peaked as well and her eyes widened at the sight of a young man with a teal cape clinging to his shoulders by a deep blue and gold bow. A Cecilia flower rests on his beret like teal hat. The male was gently trying to converse with the dragon but what shock her the most was the familiar was the male's dark blue but almost black short twin braids that fade into aqua at the tips. The very braids that she remembers her old friend used to have.

'Barbatos...' (Y/n) thought, remembering the older days where she still barely have any responsibilities. Where she, a young little fox would leave Liyue in the depths of the night to frolic with a little wind spirit in the old Mondstadt woods, where they play together before the sun rises.

By the corner of her eyes, The Traveler's chest piece suddenly flashed a light teal glow. As if sensing the power of anemo, The dragon let out a startled roar. (Y/n) let out a shaky gasp as Dvalin tried to claw the male, only for him to successfully dodge it.

The young man's sharp aqua green eyes darted to the direction where the trio was hiding. "Who's there?!"

The harsh wind almost flew the trio away. (Y/n) held Paimon tightly to her chest with the Traveler shielding them both from the howling wind. Her (e/c) eyes met with the young man's aqua green once for a brief moment before he disappeared. The dragon soon flew up in the air, away from them.

"Are you two alright?" The Traveler quickly asked as the wind dispelled. She nodded, letting Paimon float out of her grip. The blonde sighed in relief. "Good thing the dragon didn't notice us."

"Just what was that? Paimon thought we were gonna get eaten." Paimon stated. It had completely shaken her up. "It definitely has something to do with that weirdo who was talking to the dragon.

"Is talking to dragons normal?" The blonde asked the two.

"Ofcourse not!" Paimon crossed her arms to her chest and huffed but (Y/n) shook her head.

"It's possible but not common." The fox adeptus replied. "Only a few people... could... that was one of the few examples."

"If that so.....Oh?" Paimon stared at the female with curiosity. By the corner of her eyes, she then noticed something with a reddish bright glow. Catching the two's attention, she pointed at the strange and floating glowing object. " What's that? There's some kind of shiny red thingy on the big rock over there..."

"It appears to be...some sort of crystal..?" (Y/n) squinted her eyes as the male slowly approached it with caution.

"Be careful! Paimon doesn't have a good feeling about this..." Paimon stated, yet she was the first one to approach the floating red teardrop shaped crystal. The two followed, with the Traveler taking the lead, making sure that (Y/n) was right behind him. As soon as they were infront of it, Paimon began observing it. "Paimon's never seen a stone like this before, so Paimon can't tell what it is..."

'Dvalin's....' (Y/n) thought, her heart heavy. Slowly reaching out to touch it, she let out a small "Ouch!" and held her hand back. The red crystal stings her that she couldn't even touch it.

"(Y/n)!" The Traveler called, as soon as he saw her flinched. But she wasn't looking at him at all, her focus remains on the crystal.

'....I didn't see anything...' (Y/n) thought. 'Why...did my power not work...This is a part of Dvalin...So why...'

Just by touch of an object belonging to a person or a contact by the person themselves, (Y/n) can see their past and future... A special ability that the Oracle of Liyue can only do. The ability to see the history and what was about to happen, the very reason why she had saved Liyue from the past.

Her ability had prevented dozen on calamities and casualities by foretelling them. The very ability she had used to guide Rex Lapis during the war, which had made him become what he was now, The Geo Archon.

So how come her ability didn't work now, after millenials of using that power for the people of Liyue?

'I see...So this is the price I must pay...' (Y/n) thought, solemnly. 'Slowly but surely... My ability is disappearing, the last time... It shows me the near future of Mondstadt... So that's how far I can only go if I needed too....'

No wonder her once nine tails disappeared to merely four now. This was her punishment for breaking her contract.

"I'm...Fine..." (Y/n) manage to give the worried pair a assuring smile. "I just can't touch the crystal it seems, it painful if I did."

"It seems that it really is dangerous... Paimon think it's best if we put it away for now....Away from (Y/n)." The Traveler nodded without any hesistation. Unlike the Huli jing, the crystal doesn't affect him at all, so he decided to keep it hidden in his inventory for keepsake.

The trio began moving again, to Mondstadt. As the blonde and Paimon talked among themselves, (Y/n) was deep within her thoughts.

She needs to see where her limitation is. If her Oracle powers are truly disappearing then she must atleast try to see the near future that her power will allow her to. She has to make sure that she could be atleast useful for the blonde traveler during his journey to the end of it.

'I'll just have to work hard again...' (Y/n) thought, feeling the determination flowing through her veins. She've done it in the past, way back before she became the oracle. 'I'll get my power back, similar to the days of my prime. For Aether to have a better aid.'

After all, she did promised to help him. A promise to her is a contract. One sided but that's how (Y/n) is. She's wasn't the type to break a promise.

✦ • * * • · . °

'Quite the reliable, that Amber is..' (Y/n) thought as soon as she and her companions met that inspiring Outrider by the name Amber, who works for the Knights of Favonius. 'I remember Klee telling me that she lived within their headquarters. So Amber is one of them?'

The trio decided to help out clearing the Hilichurl camp that Amber was suppose to take care off. The outrider was quite impressed seeing the two fight together along side, with Paimon cheering in the background.

Traces of Hydro were with the Anemo tornado The Traveler had created, creating a huge whirlpool, successfully wiping out the camp within a minute. (Y/n) slowly put away her polearm, having not to use them as she only provided a bit of hydro. Her companion did the same with his used dull sword.

Shotting the last Hilichurl, Amber put away her own bow before facing the two elemental users with her hand on her hips. "Though I've gotta say, you two suprised me a little with yout moves there... Thanks for the backup. How'd it feel?"

"Barely broke a sweat." The Traveler answered her with honestly.

"I am quite happy to be able to help." (Y/n) slightly elbowed her companion to atleast be a little more respectful. The huli jing gave the Pyro archer a warm smile making her cheeks flushed for a bit. Amber cleared her throat, the (h/c) female have quite the politeness and grace.

"Now that you mention it, how is it the hilichurls ended up here?" Paimon suddenly asked. "These creatures don't seem like the type to set up camp so close to cities like this."

"Exactly. It's more normal for them to be much further out in the wilderness..." Amber answered, clearly worried. "But becauss the dragon, Stormterror, has been around a lot more recently, our orchards have been destroyed and the local market has been affected as well. When the storms hit, we usually end up with atleast a few injuries, so the Knights of Favonius have been tied up doing the best they can to defend the area."

"So these annoying creatures have been getting closer and closer to the city?" Paimon asked again.

"That can't be good..." (Y/n) muttered. "Especially for the locals...Hilichurls can be quite agressive..."

Soon Amber began leading them to city, stating that a responsible knight must atleast make sure they're safe. Passing through the gates, with Amber greeting the knights guarding infront, (Y/n) paused, seeing the changes Mondstadt had for the past five hundred years since she last entered the city. The city that Barbatos was proud off.

Amber stopped walking, infront of the stone stairs, she then looked back at the trio with a grin on her face, welcoming them to the city that she was fond and will protect of. "Let me officially introduce the city of wind, dandelions, and freedom..." She started.

"Travelers under the protection of the Knights of Favonius..... Welcome to Mondstadt!"