Mondstadt Alter (Rewrite)

Act 1 Chp 3.0: The Price of Power

I woke up with stuff coming out of my nose. I thought it was snot, and I caught a cold. My nostrils get clogged with the fluid, so I blow them out. A large amount of the liquid came out and splattered on the sink. I turn the handle to let the water wash it away.

I keep the water running as I wash my hands. The stains don't come off without a hitch. My hands need to be scrubbed with soap to be clean. I also need to wash my face because I have it covered half of my face.

"Wha- what's happening to me?"

*cough*

Another small batch of blood came out of my mouth.

Although it's not painful, this causes me to worry about my health. How can this happen? Perhaps I don't do enough exercise? I'm unsure, or maybe the stress finally got me to the point it damages my brain? Could be. Oh shit, it stresses me out.

"Do- do you know, *cough* what happens to me?"

[No power comes with no cost, as I'm sure you've heard.]

"...! Are you serious?"

*cough* *cough*

Is this the consequence of getting myself a vision? But I barely use it. How come it harms me despite my vision usage being near zero? That can't be. I'm also sure I don't gain more power besides a vis-

I blink a few times when I realize,

My sonar!

Oh, my lord.

If what causes this nosebleed and cough is my sonar, then it all lines up. I always let it do its job because my sonar is too handy. But I forgot that I got this ability when I gained my vision. That means what fuel sonar was my vision, and my usage wasn't nihil.

Fuck. I need to clean myself soon before someone looks for me. I wash my face first, followed by my hands. I have to clean the sink as well. Blood stains take a while to wash off, so I'll have to get them off before they stubbornly persist.

I'm cleaning up when I feel someone approaching the restroom. She walks up to the door and knocks twice before calling my name.

"Morgan, you in there?"

"Y- yeah! Do you need something?"

"The Cardinal Daybreak wants you to join him for breakfast. You up for it?" Her voice reverberated through the door.

"What?" I murmured, "Tell him I'm coming. Give me ten more minutes."

"... Are you okay in there? You've been in there for a while now." She wondered.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. I'm fine. Totally."

"If you say so. I'll deliver your message then." She said before she walked away.

First thing first, I have to make this place squeaky clean.

...

I walked straight to the Good Hunter's as soon as I finished cleaning. I still feel my head throbbing, but I can worry about it later. I see the Seneschal waiting when I arrive. He has his food served in front of him.

"Over here, Morgan." The Seneschal called.

"Thank you for inviting me, and I'm sorry for making you wait."

"I almost thought you would not come."

"Well, it'll be rude of me if I said I'd come, but I didn't."

"I'm happy you're willing to join me. I hope this didn't come out of nowhere for you. Go ahead and order something for yourself, Morgan. It's on me." He offered.

I was about to say something, but he interrupted me.

"You don't have to worry about it. It's only natural since I was the one who invited you."

"... If you insist."

I order Crab, Ham, and veggie Bake, and a glass of water. He patiently waited until my meal was ready so that we could begin together. We didn't converse while eating until we finished our food.

As soon as we are through, the Seneschal begins conversing with me.

"What's you've been up to, Morgan?"

"You can say that I find exploring the wild gratifying. It was a discovery to me that I felt like that."

That was exaggerating, but not a lie, at the very least.

"Is that so? Good for you." He nodded, "I understand that exploring is satisfying, but why were you always back at noon? I'm worried something might happen to you out there."

"I'm sorry that I made you worry. I'll try my best to avoid danger in the future."

"Wait, are you going to leave again today?" He asked.

"Yeah. I apologize. I think I'll continue doing this for a while."

"I see, but going outside alone without protection is risky. You're not an adventurer, so you don't have the experience to handle danger in the wild."

"I appreciate your concern, but rest assured. I'll be fine." I smiled.

"I'm not going to stop you if you say that. Make sure to be careful out there, okay?" The Seneschal backed down.

"I'm going back now. See you later, Morgan. And, please be careful."

I nod, "Later."

I watched their figure go away. I stare at my drink as I bite my lip. After a moment, I stand up and walk away.

A/N: To think your power eats you from the inside with/without you knowing is scary, ain't it? Unless it wasn't straightforward enough, Sonar is the name of Morgan's ability to detect people. I'll uncover more about it as we go, so rest easy.

Thank you for reading, and carry on!