Mondstadt Alter (Rewrite)

Act 1 Chp 0: Silent Departure

The sky was darkening, rumbles roared, and the air humidity progressively increased as the wind blew hard. The road from Dawn Winery to Mondstadt is by any means not that far, but making a trip when it storms is never a wise decision.

"These boxes are the last, Connor. Please check them." A man huffed after he put down a wooden box. A youngster followed him from behind, bringing a tiny wooden box and placing it near him.

"No problem." Connor said as he took out a notebook.

After a while, he continues, "Alright. Everything I ordered is here, so here is the fee. Thank you for making your way here. I could've sent Ernest to pick them up, but he's sick today."

"It's alright. We just planned to go out since it's my son's birthday." The man said as he patted the boy's head.

"Oh, really? Happy birthday to you, kiddo! I wish you to grow up to be someone your parent can be proud of.

"Thank you, Mr. Connor."

"The storm would come anytime soon. How about you take shelter here? It's dangerous making your way back when there's a storm. At least wait until the storm passes." Connor offered the man.

"I appreciate your offer, but there's something that my wife and I had to do back in the city. Send my regards to Master Crepus." He said that as he turned his back from Connor with his son and walked away.

"Very well. Please be careful on your way back!"

The man and the boy returned to their wagon, and a woman figure greeted them.

"You sure took your time, huh?" She sounded displeased.

"Haha, my bad, my bad." He chuckled, "Let's go back, shall we? I don't want my pretty wife and son to catch a cold."

"Hmph! I'm sure the storm will happen on the way even if we go now." She retorted as she walked away.

"We got my proud of and strong wagon. There's nothing to worry about the storm! Even if there's danger on our way back, we can just run. Hahaha!" The man proudly said.

The woman can only sigh, seeing the man's antics.

They hopped on the wagon and started to head back to the city. Since the short route is temporarily blocked, they have no choice but to take the long course.

...

The rain started pouring when the family was on their way back to the city.

"It's bad weather, isn't it?" The boy broke the silence.

"Yeah, if it somehow gets worse, we should stop somewhere. It's not a good idea if we keep moving forward in this weather."

"I thought you had an urgent matter in the church? Did Seamus-" The woman immediately glared at him, "Did the Seneschal need something from you?"

"I just didn't want you to stay too long doing your job when today is literally our son's birthday."

"I'm sorry, okay? Duty calls. I need to deliver goods to the client since the one who was supposed to do it is absent."

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever." The woman brushed his excuse, "Did you hear that, Morgan? Your father is so engrossed in his work and totally forgot to celebrate the special day." She faked tears while rubbing her son's hair.

After a while, they arrived at Drunkard Gorge. A popular route for merchant caravans, and you can find some people set up their stalls there to earn a few mora.

"The weather makes the air here feel chill. Although, something doesn't feel right..." He mumbled.

"Dad, isn't that a person?" The boy spoke as he pointed in a specific direction.