Magician School for the Elementally Inclined

26

As Dainsleif and Venti fought in the air too quickly for eyes to follow, Zhongli attempted to regain his composure. "You should return to the academy," Zhongli advised. Everyone nodded, with the exception of Diluc and Childe. Signora insisted that Scaramouche return since he was already injured (and, of course, had to drag him all the way with the help of Kazuha). Rex Lapis intervened in the fight when he thought it necessary, but for the most part, he was gazing at the sky, trying to assess the portal situation and if it was even viable.  

"Are you going to be okay?" Childe continued to hold onto Zhongli, in an attempt to support him, even though Zhongli was the only one able to withstand the gusts of wind from the fight above. 

"It...is becoming increasingly more difficult. However, you should be more concerned with that one." Zhongli gestured with his head to Diluc, who hadn't moved from his spot. He continued to stare up at Venti, watching the fight even though it was happening too fast for his eyes to follow. 

"Diluc is one of the most stubborn people there are at this academy," Childe laughed. "I'm sure he'll figure it out." 

"That's where you're wrong!" Kaeya announced, placing his hands on his hips, grinning. 

"We just told the others to go back to safety and more people show up?" Childe sighed, shaking his head. 

"Heh," Kaeya shrugged. Albedo was standing directly behind him, covering his mouth with his hand to hide a smile. 

"They're not ordinary students," Zhongli explained. 

"They can't be Archons, Albedo is Geo like you." Zhongli remained silent even though Childe expected him to answer. 

"We're both individuals from the magnificent city," Kaeya smiled. 

"Aren't you a little young to be thousands of years old?" Childe frowned. 

"I have a great moisturizer," he winked, not that you could see it, with the eyepatch and everything. 

"If you're that old shouldn't you have graduated already?" Childe still wasn't following this logic. 

"I was brought to the academy only a few years ago after the Headmaster discovered me on a mountain," Albedo explained. "But, I had been living there for quite some time alone." 

"I was discovered in a cave as a kid and thawed out of a block of ice," Kaeya glanced at Diluc but didn't explain further. 

"People at the academy don't graduate. This is a community. Once education is completed many go to practice their own fields of study or simply live as they please. The other humans don't have Visions or elemental powers, remember?" Zhongli spoke. "It's not safe for them anywhere else." 

"Does he know?" Albedo stared at Kaeya. 

"Does who know what?" Kaeya didn't return the gaze and continued looking at Zhongli and Childe. 

"Does the Headmaster know who you are?" 

"Do you even know who I am?" 

"Of course," Albedo closed his eyes and smiled. "You're Kaeya, an idiot Cryo user." 

"Well, I'm going to do something really dumb right now so why don't you fix it for me later?" Kaeya placed his hand on Albedo's shoulder without making eye contact and walked forward toward the lake, ice freezing it so he could walk to the center. 

"Kaeya what are you doing?!" Diluc stood up. 

"Summoning Celestia." Kaeya tore off his eye patch and a corroded fog escaped the eye socket, covering his shoulder and then his arm. "Did you know-" Kaeya slammed his fist down on the ice, creating another wave of ice on top of it and then designing a pattern with the fog. The rest of his words were stolen from the air, never to be heard, as the sky shifted above him and a portal to Celestia began to form. 

"How did he-?" Childe stared up at the sky, confused. 

"There is nothing the gods hate more than when people try to reveal their secrets," Zhongli replied, gazing up at the portal as well.