Spell-Bound (Genshin x Magi! OC)

Chapter 5 - Nothing and Everything

Aether had rushed back to Mondstadt months after Adalia had appeared, brought back by the rumors of a blonde haired woman wandering around small settlements.

"Aether, slow down! Paimon can't catch up!"

"Then float faster and work off those meals you inhaled."

"Hey!"

Though, Paimon could understand where the boy was coming from. After years of no leads, not even one clue of his sister, he was bound to be excited over this. But being too expectant often let you down even harder, she was worried about him.

He barged his way into the Headquarters of the Knights, slamming open the door to Jean's office as he took in deep breaths.

"Jean!"

"Honorary Knight, what brings you here....? And in such a rush at that."

Paimon floated in after, slowly drooping down to rest on the floor.

"Sorry...about that...Master Jean......"

The two got themselves situated at the table nearby, resting in the weirdest posture as they caught their breath.

"We heard rumors of someone...blonde hair...young woman."

"Ah, you are talking of the Wandering Magi?"

"Yes, Paimon heard of her through one of Diluc's errand boys!" She exclaimed. "Said that she saved him from a group of hilichurls one time."

Jean gave Aether a look of pity, her lips dropping into a straight line. "I'm afraid she's not your sister, Honorary Knight."

"H-How can you be so sure...?" He looked desperate.

"She came to greet me just a few months ago while looking nothing like you. And also..." She furrowed her brows. "It's best that you look for her yourself if you want answers."

"Why can't you just tell me?"

"Even the Knights don't know much about her, the only one who met her was Albedo."

Aether gave a pointed look towards Paimon, urging her to hurry up while tilting his head to the door, before rushing out again. The floating child sighs, weakly going out the door as fast as she could.

"Wait!"

The warning she needed to mention to Aether was left unheard.

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Once in a while, Albedo found himself wondering of Adalia. She was beautiful, he wasn't ignorant to how she looked, and had a calming presence, one he took notice of when he found how easy it had been conversing with her. Though, with how focused he was on his research, those moments were few and far in between.

'Didn't Adalia have-'

"Albedo!"

'Oh, the Traveler and his partner are here.'

He watched as the two collapsed near the torches at the entrance, heaving in breaths as if they.....

"Did you run all the way here?"

"May...be...."

"Pai...mon thinks....we...shouldn't do this...anymore....."

"I don't...want....to hear...that from you.."

Even when exhausted, they still argued with each other.

"Catch your breath first, then tell me why you've come."

_________________________________

"Oh, you must be speaking of the Magi," Albedo hums. "She's definitely not your sister, Traveler."

Aether visibly deflates at those words.

"But if you want to confirm that yourself, she's spotted around small settlements or where there's little to no people around. I've speculated that she prefers to be alone with how much she's been traveling around, but she stops when supplies have run out."

Adalia, with her broken grammar of Teyvat's writing system, wrote to Albedo once each month. Sometimes, it would come with scribbled out words that lasted a whole line while others would have strange symbols in between the Teyvatian. While barely passable, Albedo managed to read whatever was on the parchment, which included vague details of her location.

He searches through the papers on his desk, rifling past anything related to his research, though he saw one he wanted to revise and stalled for a second, finding Adalia's last letter near the bottom of a stray pile.

"Here it is." Albedo passes the paper to Aether.

The child floats over her companion's shoulder, eyes squinting to make out the messy words. "Your sister has really messy writing, Paimon can't read this at all."

Albedo gives the child a side look, as if he was berating her in his mind.

"It mentions an old bell. She's probably still in Monstadt's lands considering the dates she's written compared to when the letter arrives."

When the Traveler and his floating companion rush out the cave, Albedo suddenly remembers a warning he should've given.

He remains unconcerned, returning to his work.

'I should have mentioned that he should bribe her with food before talking to her. Adalia doesn't like strangers after all.'

He shrugs, setting the worry to the back of his mind.

'It's too late now, I guess.'