Spell-Bound (Genshin x Magi! OC)

Chapter 8 - Tainted Snow

Adalia sighed, her breath showing in the freezing temperatures of Dragonspine.

'How long has it been since someone has started following us...such a persistent individual we have.'

Aether had eaten a dish called Goulash, helping him to endure the cold, but this had also made him wonder of something else. Adalia, with her thin clothing and bare feet, had not once stopped by a heat source unlike he and Paimon had to. Similarly to Albedo, their calm expressions suited the frigid ice.

"H-How are y-you not free-zing?" His teeth chattered.

"Yeah!" Paimon joins. "L-Looking at you m-m-makes Paimon feel so c-cold."

The Magi takes a quick glance towards the side, ignoring the two, seeing no sign of obvious movement. They had the high ground, overlooking broken walls and piled snow, but it felt like they were at a disadvantage.

'This person can not be following the brat, he is the so called "Honorary Knight".'

It would have been more odd if it had been Aether, who had connections to powerful people. Only the foolish treasure hoarders and big organizations, like the Fatui, would take the chance.

Then, there was Adalia.

Almost everything about her was an enigma.

She turns back to face Aether. "You were saying?"

He gave her a dead stare, having already warmed up after standing next to the fire for so long. It was annoying to be ignored.

He didn't miss the pensive look she gave behind her to the empty landscape, a gaze that flashed with slight worry and annoyance.

"How do you withstand the cold here? Even I can't hold out long in this weather."

"Hmm..." She considered the boy's thoughts, then holds out her hand. "You are an outlander, correct? I trust you know to keep secrets to yourself."

"Well, yes. Of course I do."

"Then, hold my hand, you will be warmed soon after."

Aether reaches for the pale hand offered to him, hesitating as he didn't know what would happen if he did, then grasping it firmly as his curiosity took over.

The effect was instant.

A gentle warmth spread from where they connected, reaching all the way down to his toes.

"What...what is this?!"

"Huh? Paimon wants to know too!!"

The child reaches out, floating next to Adalia, touching the bare shoulder, and gasps.

Adalia tugs on his hand, coaxing him into following her towards Albedo's camp.

"While I am not your sister, it does not mean I did not come from a different world," She grins at their awe. "It is a heat spell, hailing from a wonderful discovery by a little blue haired boy."

"This is amazing! Paimon feels all tingly and warm."

"Yes, it is quite a pleasant form of magic."

A proud feeling spreads from Adalia's chest, the pride she felt in seeing people's awe for her friend made her happy.

'Wait...a friend? Since when did-'

Her thoughts are cut off suddenly by a foggy sensation, her head clouding up and hazing any doubts she had before.

'What was I thinking about...'

"-dalia! Adalia!"

"Hm?"

He seemed worried for her, Adalia observed. It had been such a long time since anyone was so kind. Unbeknownst to the woman, the spell she casted had begun to lose effect in her daze, slowly getting colder as it wore off, which was what caused Aether's sudden shouting.

She looked off in that moment.

But he forces a grin. "We're almost at Albedo's."

Diluc, who had been trailing behind covertly and resistant to the temperature because of his vision, could only catch onto a few words the wanderer said. Unable to put any words together, he furrows his brows, annoyed. It was quickly turning dark as the sun disappears behind the horizon and he had to patrol Mondstadt soon.

He knows he stands out against all the white, so he trails behind them farther.

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"Albedo! Look who we brought with us!" Paimon exclaimed.

The alchemist turns to face the visitors, immediately recognizing the woman in front. His eyes take note of Aether's hand connected to hers, a distasteful feeling boiling in his stomach.

He brushes it off soon after.

"It seems neither of us have changed, have we not?"

"Yes," A smile graces his features. "Even though it has been almost a year since we've seen each other."

A light giggle escapes her lips, letting go of Aether's hand in preference to giving her friend an embrace.

Albedo stiffens for a moment, much more used to a certain younger sibling's touch than he is a woman's, then circles his arms around her waist in a loose hold.

He breathes in.

'The smell of Sweet Flowers suits her...'

"Hey! Paimon's had enough of your flirting!"

'Damn the floating child though,' Albedo thinks.

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A/n

I have such a clear bias towards Albedo-