Archon of Cynthis [Book 1]

Chapter 18 - Dragonspine

a/n: yes i have writer's block

and yes im wanting to write still

so wish me luck

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Your boots clicked on the wooden planks as you walked across the Inn's eating area. Standing at the top of the stairs, you looked around for Aether and Paimon. 

"Over here~!" 

Moving your eyes to a table nearby, you see Aether and Paimon enjoying 3 plates heaped with food. You smiled a bit and walked over, taking a seat in the empty chair. 

"Paimon insisted on getting food before we leave, she was complaining way to much," Aether explained, sliding a plate of Sticky Honey Roast in front of you. 

You all enjoyed the meal, chatting about many different topics, Paimon being the one mostly talking. Once you finished, you sat a bit longer to discuss where we we're going next. 

"So, we were thinking of heading back towards Mondstadt and exploring Dragonspine!" Paimon announced, rising from her seat and floating once again. You froze for a second, eyes wide. 

"Yeah- uh, you good, y/n?" Aether asked, leaning his head to look at you. Your head was angled downwards, with your hair slightly falling in front. 

"Yeah... uh, let's just start heading there." You said, getting up. You brushed your gloved hands against your cape, and followed them as we walked down the stairs and towards Stone Gate.

~~~ skip bc nobody wants to read the whole walk ~~~

You guys made it to the Adventurer's Camp at the base of the mountain, and you noticed a young girl with glasses and green hair. She also had - ears?

"Hey, it's Sucrose!" Paimon exclaimed. "Are you here to explore the Snowy Mountain too?"

"Ah!" Sucrose yelped, jumping back a bit. "Y-you scared me... please, don't scare me like that! I was giving my research report some much-needed consideration." 

"But you were just standing over there, staring to space..." You said, tilting your head. 

"N-not at all! I was just thinking of a name for a new subspecies of Sweet Flower I propagated. It has seeds that are four times as large as normal." Sucrose claimed, then put her hands together. "Also, I don't believe we've met.." 

"Oh, I'm y/n." You say, and smile. She smiles back.

"I'm Sucrose, a researcher of alchemy. I'm Mister Albedo's assistant." Sucrose introduced herself, placing a hand on her chest. 

"Uh, can you eat seeds like that?" Aether wondered, placing a hand on his chin. 

"Oh, are you interested? Wonderful! Next time, please allow me to show you the fruits of my work!" Sucrose said excitedly. 

We chatted a bit longer, and Sucrose brought up something about Albedo keeping a secret from her and Timaeus. 

"But, isn't he your teacher? What would a teacher have to hide from his students?" Paimon asked. 

"That's true, but I feel like he's always hiding something." Sucrose said. "It is my personal guess that it is some great secret of alchemy!" 

"How are you so sure?" You asked. 

"Timaeus and I are both passionate researchers of alchemy. If it was anything else, Albedo wouldn't have any reason to hide it from us." Sucrose explained. 

You nodded. "You do have a point." 

We agreed to investigate what Albedo was hiding and started towards the foot of the mountain. 

Aether warned you it was going to be very, very cold - and you just nodded, saying you already knew. He knew better than to question, and stepped onto the soft snow, light crunching emitting from it. 

You took a step, and as soon as your boot came into contact with the snow, your outfit completely changed. 

(dear lord help me because i cannot describe outfits) 

You now wore a black tunic and white leggings underneath a thick, furry coat. Some of the white fluff was thicky wrapped around your neck, and the coat itself was an ombre of midnight blue and light blue. The tips had stars scattered across that actually twinkled gently. You had black boots with silver tips, that also had an inside padding of fur. Your wrists also had the fur wrapped around. A black belt wrapped around your waist, with a silver vision attached to it. It housed a silver light, with a grey outline of a crescent moon with a single star inside. 

(THIS THING)

(SO MUCH DETAIL HELP ME- and ignore the purple stuff underneath the skirt, it's all white and furry)

Aether and Paimon stared at you, and you just smiled awkwardly. You followed them up the path, since they seemed to know where they were going. While they weren't watching, you snatched the fake Cynthis Vision off your belt and tucked it into a pocket underneath your skirt.

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"Albedo!" Paimon waved hi.

"Hey, it's us again." Aether said, smiling a bit. The light brown-haired male turned around, his teal eyes looking at us coldly, yet softening slightly. 

"Hm? Why are you here?" He crossed his arms, teal eyes looking over at you. "And who is this?" 

"Uh, I'm y/n. I'm Aether's friend." You introduced yourself, smiling awkwardly. 

"I am Albedo, Chief Alchemist of the Knights of Favonius." Albedo said, crossing his arms. He brought his attention back to Aether and Paimon. "Are you lost?"

"No we're not!" Paimon scoffed. 

"Sucrose says that you conceal some unspeakable secret." Aether said. You and Paimon both looked at him. 

"A secret?" Albedo said questioningly. 

"Hey! What are you doing!?" Paimon said angrily. "Our mission calls for a delicate approach!" 

"We weren't going to fool him either way," You said, crossing your arms. 

Aether nodded. Paimon sweat-dropped. "Uh... sure, but still..." 

"Actually, you've arrived at just the right moment. I have business with you too, in fact." Albedo said, then he looked at you. "And, I suppose you as well." 

Aether sighed a bit. "Uh, Albedo, could I talk to you for a moment?" 

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yippee

a chapter

tho guys be glad bc im incredibly excited for the next few 

alr byeeee that'll probably be it for today