To serve, to protect! - Rhythm
Notes: I just realized the potential that I could add whatever headcanon I want to this story. Sooo I DID, but not telling which ones, will be a silent nod or reference to keep the flow going (and see if you can figure it out) And so sorry for the long delay for this post but we got this now.
Warnings: Gender-neutral reader, fluff, just a lot of exposition and possible spoilers?
You awoke to a new day, and to a very adorable pile of wolves with the white-haired boy laying on top of the pile, keeping warm. You chuckled and shook your head, remembering the chaos of the previous day.
You had just created your small cottage, just a temporary shelter until you get a game plan going. Since the last attack was earlier and you had ended it with the enemy’s forces down by at least 20%, not to mention you were sure you had cut down one of their main captains that were highly regarded, they will not be sending any more troops until they have another captain and the fodder they had lost. You raised your hands above your head in a stretch, when you felt Razor’s hand gently grab at your clothes. You looked down during your stretch to see him stare at the cottage (probably wondering where it came from) while subconsciously grabbing at you (probably thinking you were one of his pack?). You smiled and placed a hand on his head. “Want to come in with me? I could change the size of it to keep you guys warm tonight?” Almost instantly, his brows frowned, and looked back at his pack. Looks like they will have to talk through it.
You shrugged and made the changes, expecting them to agree since you were aware of the biting cold the night brings. Walking towards the cottage, you waved at them behind you saying, “I don’t mind, either way, you guys can follow me in now or later but just keep in mind it’s an open offer until I have to move.”
The expectation was that they would probably join you inside during the night or the next day but nope, they had come in during the night and made themselves at home. The morning light came in through the window, gently making the atmosphere homely which made you smile. It has been a while, hasn’t it?
‘I better get breakfast going’, you thought while getting up and going to the kitchen to start some breakfast. Luckily you had stored some food away, but this will last for another day or maybe tonight tops. Will have to go hunting soon, but that will be for later. You quickly made something simple, just some scrambled eggs and you plated some raw meats for the wolves. As for Razor, you had 2 pieces of toast, and eggs, then made a quick orange juice for the both of you. You were sure he will appreciate whatever you made him but you wondered how you could replicate the things you brought from your birthplace here in Teyvat. Yeah, there were fruits, meats, and spices that were similar but nothing can top the originals where you grew up. Lowering your gaze to the plated breakfast, you felt a heavy tug at your heart. 'Hopefully, everything will go back to normal after this stupid war is over…’ You heard the soft patter of feet and paws, quickly lifting the sadness that was clouding your mind temporarily. You offered a smile to the wolves and Razor while placing down the meats and offering a chair for Razor. “Come now, I can see you guys haven’t had a good meal in some days, so here is a little something. Enjoy.” You barely had finished what you were saying when they all lunged at the food, the noise of the meats being eaten filling the room. Sighing, you turned your focus to Razor who also was messily eating the food that was prepared for him. 'My poor creations.. ahh if only I could change everything without having a major backlash.’ You patted Razor’s head and calmly ate your meal. After stuffing themselves full (you had to get out more food and prepare more, but that’s okay), you told them that you were heading out and taking a look at the surrounding cities and checking with Teyvat on their upgrade. You asked Razor to just continue on his day, but if they could hunt some food that would be amazing. Razor and the pack agreed then parted ways. You pondered on how to patrol the surrounding areas without raising alarms and decided to just fly above and use a spyglass to take a peek at the cities themselves. As Mondstadt was closest, you raised yourself using the wind and took out the spyglass to glance around the area. The City of Freedom was peaceful, with citizens walking by and gossiping while the knights were patrolling around the city to ensure the safety of their residents. Your eyes quickly took interest in some characters, specifically a tall blonde-haired woman in a blue and white outfit, a red-haired man in black, a blue-haired man with an eyepatch over their right eye, and… oh? A Traveller from afar, it seems, with a familiar little pixie next to them. A female, with short blonde hair and a white dress. Quickly getting sending down a small bug, you hear in their conversation.
“Did you guys feel something off yesterday? Around sunset?”
“Yes, indeed. There was a flux in the air, and I can’t help but feel anxious.”
“We had set knights patrolling around for now, but so far there were no reports of any oddities. I am not sure if it was anything to be worried about.”
You cursed in your native language, as you were sure that your descent yesterday did not have an impact on the living beings of Teyvat. Perhaps you were too much in a hurry and misjudged your control. No matter, for now, you have seen enough and your little bug was practically invisible to the naked eye and will be following this Traveller around for as long as you decide to. You beckoned the wind to move you to do a quick patrol around Mondstadt since Teyvat won’t be able to alert you just yet as you assumed they were still getting used to their upgrade. Luckily you were correct, as there were no signs of invasions from those idiots on the other side.
Arriving in Liyue took some time but you were able to arrive after about 3 hours after your slow patrol of Mondstadt and the terrains in between. Once in Liyue, you immediately noticed the change of personality from the City of Freedom. The City of Contracts was quite populous and was somewhat difficult in judging what you should investigate at first but you were able to able to identify what was what and who was working as a merchant and who was just a resident walking by. The smell of sizzling food and spices was strong, even up so high above. You smiled, already quite fond of the developed cities that the Archons have developed in your absence. They each had their charm, that is for sure. While floating up, you noticed a building up high as well, and to say you were shocked was an understatement. You bit your tongue to hold the laugh bubbling in your throat at the sight, not expecting the people of Teyvat be able to create something as grand as the floating palace that your eyes laid upon. Floating towards it, you noticed the newness of the materials, and you assumed that it was just a recent development. It was exquisite, but you noticed there were people inside the building and quickly decided to let it be for now and patrol the surrounding terrain. You would normally just sense around, but after the painful feedback from last time, you thought to just patrol around and sense within 20 meters of yourself at regular intervals. It saved your energy and didn’t create painful feedbacks, which are both pluses.
You noticed the large chasm following west of Liyue, and after sensing around for about 20 minutes, you decided it was not noteworthy for now. The Chasm was quite large, and for you to investigate by yourself this early on was just asking for trouble. Of course, you weren’t going to just leave it be with the looming threat, so you created a small observer and sent it to watch over the large area. Satisfied, for now, you headed back and decided to just talk to Teyvat while recovering at your cottage in Wolvendom.
With just an hour and a half of travel, you already were nearing Wolvendom. Landing softly and lightly patting yourself off the debris that had collected on your clothes on the way back, and went inside your cottage to do a quick shower and change. You finished up and headed back outside, tapping your right foot with a slight burst of your power to let Teyvat know you are ready. Feeling the air change, you smiled as you felt their presence. “Hello Teyvat, how are you doing now? Is the upgrade treating you kindly?” You felt a slight drum in the air as if to emulate a hum.
“It is going well, Your Grace. I am almost done, I wish to say about 80%? Perhaps closer to 90% but I wish to get used to the changes. It is certainly a bit of a learning curve but I should be done by tonight.” You hummed, sitting down on the ground and giving it a small pat. 'That’s good, perhaps at this rate, I could give them another upgrade sooner than I expected. But for now, they will be my eyes..’
“That is good, are you able to sense your surroundings for Razor and his pack for me? Considering they are not back yet, I am assuming they are out hunting and wish to know if they were alright, and perhaps you could catch me up on anything I may have missed in these centuries that have gone by while I was away in battle?” The nearby trees and bushes shook, and you felt Teyvat hum once again.
“At this time, the pup and their pack are currently still hunting but I have lent them a hand with some prey, as I understand they are aiding you, Your Grace. It should take them another 2 or 3 hours I reckon, but they should be back by sundown. I believe that should be enough time to catch you up in some of history.”
Teyvat had let you in on the happenings in the world, the war between the Archons, the tragedy in some of the major players in the present, and the fall of Khaenri'ah. By the time Teyvat had filled you in up to the point of the Archon war, it was sundown and the pack had returned from a fruitful hunt. You quickly dismissed Teyvat after asking to meet at the same time the next day and went to prepare dinner and to bed.
This was the rhythm of your time for the next couple of days, and in a flash 3 weeks had passed before your eyes and you had used the time to keep an eye out for intruders, listening to Teyvat’s history, and the impact of the Traveller’s arrival and the occasional training to keep in shape with the eventual addition of Razor.
You had just come back at the usual time, patting yourself from the debris when you looked up to witness 3 familiar characters standing in front of your door.
“What in the world..?”