Chapter 2
“Fooo… Finally, in Liyue! C’mon, Lady Cerise! We’ll be staying here for two days before we hit the road again!” Adi exclaimed, happily hopping out of the carriage. Cerise stared as she instantly tripped over a tree root and went tumbling onto the ground. Adrian face-palmed as his partner fumbled to stand up. He hopped out of the carriage and promptly tripped over the same tree root.
It was Cerise’s turn to facepalm. Honestly, Adi’s only useful when it comes to fighting and navigating, whereas Adrian is a clutz if he’s not doing cliché maid things. Why Adi is the one dressed as Cerise’s maid and Adrian is dressed like a bodyguard, Cerise doesn’t know.
The past five days had been a bit chaotic. Adrian got lost around three times while setting up camp, Adi killed four Mitachurls, and Joelle had cursed two-hundred and seventy-four times.
Cerise had only one vision, surprisingly. A glimpse of a younger version of a man she’d seen quite commonly in the future. Blue hair, tanned skin with a sickly pallor, and star pupils. He’d been standing in the rain as a man walked away, leaving him alone. Based on how he seemed to be the same age as Diluc in all of Cerise’s other visions, she could only guess that this would happen in maybe three to five years.
On the night of an intense storm, where Mondstadt was rendered almost invisible due to the dense rainfall, and Cerise could barely recognise marks from wolf claws on one of the trees.
She had jotted it down in her vision journal, a thick book that Amaryss had gifted Cerise, in her special code.
For some reason, when certain people appear in Cerise’s visions, the visions become shorter. The blue-haired boy was one such person. As was a blonde with those star-shaped pupils.
“Lady Cerise! I made sure to rent a lab for you! Adrian will handle our bags! Let’s go!” Adi grabbed onto Cerise’s hand, dragging her along as the girl questioned her life choices. Maybe she should have asked Amaryss to come along rather than two of the most eccentric people employed under the Ragnvindrs.
Seriously, it’s rather embarrassing to be dragged through the streets of Liyue. Cerise stumbles after Adi before something knocks her to the ground.
The sky is bright and clear, and the zombie child looks up at the green-haired man.
“Baizhu… Qiqi wants to release the lantern,”
“Of course, Qiqi. But first, you write your wish,”
Cerise blinks, tilting her head at the boy. Green hair, amber eyes and a fragile physique. Huh, was it a contact-induced vision? Those happen sometimes, but normally they’re not that short. Or if they are, it’s something important. Like a dragon attack.
“Ack- sorry! Sorry,” The roughly eight-year-old boy apologises. Cerise nods and quickly stands, ducking behind Adi to hide.
“No problem,” Cerise says, and Adi laughs. Must she find Cerise’s inability to socialise so funny? It’s not Cerise’s fault the only other kid she’s met are Klee and Lisa! Well, maybe it is her fault because she only ever went to the library if she was leaving the mansion…
Not to mention if Lisa hadn’t been borrowing the Boar Princess Volume 5 then they never would have met…
And if Klee hadn’t blown up Artificial Electro Wyrm Mark 12 then Alice never would have organised that “play date”…
Okay, so it’s probably Cerise’s fault because she begged to not have any of the large parties typical of the Ragnvindr clan for her birthdays, or attend any of the dinners that she was invited to, or leave the corner during Diluc’s birthdays…
“…I’m Baizhu, what’s your name?” The green-haired boy finishes whatever he had been talking about before, finally introducing himself. Baizhu. A nice name.
“Uh- um. Right. I’m Cerise. Nice to meet you,” Cerise smacks herself internally. The goal of graduating in less than eighteen months isn’t going to work if she’s too shy to defend her research. Why did she even think this was a good idea?
Probably because her father and Amaryss were supportive of her. It’s hard to feel scared when your father and the most awesome person in Mondstadt have your back.
An awkward silence hung between Baizhu and Cerise, while Adi didn’t seem to notice it. Cerise really wanted to just get to that lab Adi had rented.
“I- Uh, I’ll see you around,” Baizhu said before continuing on to wherever he was headed. Cerise let out a sigh of relief, and Adi chuckled again. Cerise tugged at Adi’s dress.
“Let’s go to the lab, please,” A pat on the head was what Cerise received before once again being tugged along by Adi.
Maybe Cerise would be able to avoid people when she attends the Akademiya… It’s not like there’d be too many people her age there, anyways. There’s no age requirement to attend the Akademiya but you have to pass the entrance exam, which is made for those who’ve already had prior schooling. This makes most new students eighteen to twenty.
Cerise had aced the exam easily, of course. It was nothing compared to the gruelling, month-long visions of an odd school with even odder math. It was so disorienting when those visions ended and Cerise was thrust back into the middle of a conversation that to her felt like it happened a month ago and as such she’d forgotten what was said…
That might be a problem in the Akademiya. Maybe Cerise can make something to prevent her from having visions temporarily? That way she won’t “space out” when presenting her projects.
“Here we are!”
“Saaif! Wait- don’t bite that!” Adi shouted, chasing the ferret-droid around the lab as Cerise stared at the liquid. Cerise isn’t opposed to using herself as a test subject but last time her father banned her from using her lab for a month… But how else would she test it?
The only other person Cerise knew that had visions was her grandmother, but she’s buried next to Cerise’s mother. Beyond her grandma and mum, no one had even known about Cerise’s visions. Still, no one knows.
She should probably tell Diluc and Crepus, right? She can do that once she returns from the Akademiya.
“Lady Cerise, please control your pet!” Adi cried, tripping over the ferret-droid after another desperate attempt to catch them. Cerise chuckled, bending down and scooping up the little thing.
“Saaif is fine, Adi. You’re just sad ca'causeou’re clumsy,” Cerise comments, with the sincerity and bluntness only a child would have.
“Lady Ceriseeeee! You’re so mean!” Adi pouts, and Cerise tilts her head. Why Adi and Adrian act more like a little kid than her, she’ll never know.
“Saaif, attack mode,” Cerise mutters, and Adi yelps before running out. Good, now Cerise can focus without her messing up everything. Saaif looks up at Cerise before deciding to become a limp noodle. Cerise sighs and places them on a pillow before looking back at the vial.
“…” To drink it or not to drink it, that is the question. But, hey, it’s shiny and pretty and it smells sweet… Plus Cerise needs to test it anyways…
“What dad and Amaryss don’t know they can’t be mad about. Bottoms up!”