Chapter 12: How to Stop Time [Part 1]
"Haaa~" Breathed the gray-haired gir as she stretched her armsl and closed her eyes out in bliss as she finally came to her home after a long time.
"It feels so nice to be home after such a long travel around Teyvat!" spoked Elaine opening her blue eyes which filled in the glimmer of happiness to see her family once again.
'Time flies fast! I can't believe that I turned sixteen this year and Diluc becoming to be the Cavalry Captain at the knight of Favonius which father informed me from to the letter that I receive in Fontaine Branch.' She thought even though she didn't change that much, asides from her body having a physical change which was fairly normal for human beings that they grow so fast. Though it was rather annoying to the gray-haired girl when she once went back to Liyue again to witness the lantern rite and males stared behind her back, which made her uncomfortable, she quickly managed to get out of the masses and search for an area that has no people visited only one person was besides her who watches quietly as the lantern took of to the sky.
"Well then," A cross-shaped black shield and a sword that gives out a mysterious aura appeared in her hands to block anything or anyone that prevents her from her way. "Time to visit doctor Romani first before I make my appearance to them. I'll bet Diluc and Kaeya would be surprised to see me after such a long time."
Elaine hummed quietly a lovely tune and faces onward to the city that is a little far from her camping base but somehow she felt a storm will arrive soon as she steps her foot into her homeland alongside a small white-furred creature on her shoulder.
"Fou."
-
"Uncle Romani! I've sorted out the new medical supplements that arrived yesterday and also made coffee along with some sweets for you!" A small ash-blonde-haired girl with gray-blue eyes who appears to be ten enters his office while holding both hands a tray to hold the mug of coffee and tea for herself.
She looked not surprised that the older man with pink hair layover at his desk as he drained thanks from the paperwork and placed the tray on the desk beside him.
"Thank you for the hard work."
Romani moved his head and glanced at the tray and noticed with wide eyes like a child that there are also two slices of cake as well which he quickly corrected his posture.
"Isn't this your famous homemade berry-cream cake!" He cried in happiness that the girl named Barbara lightly chuckled at him.
"Yes, it is!" She said with a kind smile that Romani made blissfully smiled over this precious child that God blessed. "I made this especially for you since you're working so hard in the past weeks and as your only apprentice, it's my job to make sure that you have at least something in your stomach even if it's not that healthy for to consume for you though!"
"Hahaha... I am grateful for having you as my kind apprentice who looked after their superior, but you didn't have to do that to me. Shouldn't it be the opposite that I should take care of you since your father asked me to do it?" The doctor gave her a crooked smile that plastered on his face as he teased her for a bit and sipped his coffee.
Barbara put an embarrassed expression on her face and scratched her face softly.
"W-well... I just wanted to do that because I want to try to feel useful to you, Romani... A-and seeing you being happy makes me also happy."
When the girl said that, Romani paused a bit and he quietly glanced at her in sympathy.
Being torn away from her very own birth mother who hadn't spared a single glance on her own youngest daughter just because she isn't talented like the oldest one, was something Romani disliked.
Reminds him of Olga-Marie's father who just acted like he never had a daughter since he was too focused on his goal.
How can the clan head be so delusional who sticks to their traditional ways even if it was a glorious one? Heck, their ancestor didn't kick their second child out over illness or being born weak, they only kick them out if the clan members do something ungrateful.
It's no wonder why Barbara was so keen to surpass her oldest sister in a way that she want to be recognized and stand equal to her big sister, Jean.
Hence why, Barbara's father, Seamus Pegg who was also good buddies with him entrusted him to take care of his daughter until she was interested to join the church because he doesn't want his daughter to hear what some people gossip about his divorce and glanced at Barbara in judicial. He also wanted his daughter to have an independent mind to chose freely from own will of what she wanted to do in the future and not to follow his footsteps as a devoted Seneschal of the Church of Favonius.
Mondstadt sure have their own kind of assholes and they never realized as they still blindly follow their ignorance, Greed and forgetfulness for being protected by the knights and the Gunnhildr clan while scorned at the fallen aristocrat along with that certain blue haired girl despite being the apple that fell from the tree from the ground.
Romani patted her head and the girl looked at him dumbfounded and noticed that he gazed gently at her.
"You did a great job, Barbara. You couldn't give me more happiness as you do it more already!" He praised her and the blond-haired girl lightly blushed. "You have the same sparkle of my favorite idols that lifted my low energy when I finished my work where I lived."
'Ah... I messed up...'
Romani blinked his eyes repeatedly as he realized what he spoked and gazed nervously at Barbara who looking at him in curiosity.
"What are those 'Idols' you speaking of?" She asked innocently and the doctor didn't know how to explain it her what an Idol is but to his luck, an almost familiar voice from downstairs can be heard.
"Helloooo? Dr. Romani are you here?"
Romani stands up and looks at his goddaughter in apology Barbara waved her hand at him to go down while she prepared tea for their customer.
As he went down, the doctor his eyes tricked him when he saw the identical version of Mash Kyrielight except her hair was light gray and long that reaches straight down to her hips, and she wears a black dress that reaches to her knees, embroidered with royal blue and white flowers, and thin norse runes from the end of her dress, a long sleeved jacket, black thighs, and black military boots that reaches up to her knees that is also covered in white-silver armor along with her shoulder blades, it looked like wings. She looked like an noble princess from the north than an adventurer from his book.
Elaine detected him and put a small smile on her face as her greeting while a small white creature also greeted him with its strange noises which Romani startled in perplexed.
"Long time no see, Romani! I see you haven't changed in the last 6 years." The Demi-Servant greeted him friendly with her eyes closed then noticed that the doctor was staring at her shoulder where her small companion resides who also keep staring at him, "Is there something wrong?" She titled her head in confusion.
Romani shakes his head.
"No... It's nothing... but can I ask what this creature on your shoulder might be if I can ask?"
Elaine blinked and glanced at her small companion then turned back to him with a smile. "That's my travel companion, Reeva. I've meet him during my time in Snezhnaya. I felt pity for that poor guy who was starved for death and shared my lunch which he kinda sticks to me ever since." She told him and Reeva cuddled her cheeks in affection while Romani was in deep thought about that creature and also why the Demi-Servant came to visited him.
"... How about we go to an another room first where we could talk? It seems that you want something from me." The doctor suggested her.
Elaine couldn't help but chuckled a little then her eyes peered at him in determined of what she wants to know as they went to the next room along a young girl who seemed to be curious about her.
As she sat down the couch which Romani do that the same to the opposite while Barbara nervously placed the teas and coffees on the table that Elaine looked at her in appreciative, the girl was surprised how her gaze was gentle despite being serious and quietly leaves the room as she has some tasks to do.
Romani sipped to his coffee a little to calm his mind and place it down as they went down to the business. "So... What do you want to know?"
Elaine breathed out with her eyes closed as she placed an worn old book to the table which the doctor inspecting it and frowned when he saw the title of the book.
'The pathways to Avalon Le Fay'
"I want know if this world has truely has a land called Avalon Le Fay... I want to know everything... " She said without leaving her eyes at him and there is silence between them. All that Elaine only heard was the grandfather's clock ticking that echoes through the room and her finger tapping to her arm. Then Romani decided to speak up.
"I was kind off expecting this to be honest since you are the vessel of that Heroic Spirit..." He sighed. "Well... Avalon or rather Albion by the fairies as they called... is not the country that Galahad may not know it since it only appeared before the Calamity that happens over five hundred years... The country or rather the isle is called 'The otherworldly paradise where Celestia never reaches an finger upon it' by the residents of the Abyss... No one knows why this place suddenly repairs though maybe only few may know it and it's not really the distant paradise where the king of knights and Merlin resides." Romani paused as he drank his coffee to refreshing his mind,"That era may had been originally from our world, just the history was different since it is considered to be a Lostbelt."
"A Lostbelt?" Elaine furrowed her eyebrows when he mention it and the pink-haired man started to explain what a lostbelt is.
"Right... You didn't know what that is since most of the humanity aren't aware about... Well think about as part of Greater history of man which has a dead end since it considered to be 'unnecessary' by the will of the world and it cut off, becoming even parallel world that is selected by the Fantasy Tree, think about like the world tree that holds the worlds like marbles and thus is called a Lostbelt, a Belt of Strange Tales." The Demi-Servant nodded her head as she understand the concept, "Albion... is a very dangerous place for humans for obivious reason that the fairies are very cunning and mischievous, and also the roads to Albion are kind of tricky since it located somewhere in the dark sea... I suggest that you must have a ship that is enough to withstand any kind of disasters that are waiting for reckless travelers like you." Romani warned her with his eyes fixed on her.
"... I see. Thank you for that advice." Elaine closed her eyes for the moment and breathed slowly then she stared at the former Grand Caster who looked at with unreadable smile on his face.
"So... How was your life as an adventurer, Elaine? I'm sure you have some quite a lot of story to share." Romani never left his smile on his face as he was curious what she had learned in the past six years
The Demi-Servant blinked then curved her lips into a small smile and told enthusiastic about her life as an adventurer.
"It was sure is an wonderful experience to me! Meeting new encounters, connecting with them and discovering new places was pretty much a treasure for me. And also, the six other nations who holding their own culture and the environments were breathtaking, but my favourite is Snezhnaya because it covered in pure snow and ice that looked like clear crystals to me which I am afraid to break it. Oh, And they have this thing called aurora lights when it become night, several colors appearing in the sky!" Elaine exclaimed with pure joy as she shared to the doctor who nodded as he listened to her and take notes that Elaine likes snowy places.
"I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed with heart content of complete your ambitious goal, Elaine." He stated that made Elaine flustered a little how he praised her, though something frustrated her and she didn't know what it was as her heart started to hurt when she start thinking about her family.
'Why do have a bad feeling for this...' Elaine thought since she started to think that the Fatui's where oddly quiet here in Mondstadt, also haven't seen Ursa the Drake during her explore here in Mondstadt which it was damn right fishy about it and slowly got up which the doctor hummed.
"Are you going to see your family, Elaine? Then go ahead I'm sure they are waiting for you, we can discuss again when the time is right. Oh, and say hello to Crepus for me."
The demi-servant nodded with a grateful smile on her face, "Goodbye. We will perhaps see each other soon." When she leaved the house, Romani stopped her for a moment as he said something that Elaine had to take it seriously.
"Your 'Journey' has already begun. The fight against your fate will coming up soon. If your path is getting tangled, you have always have choices to stop the pain." Romani adviced her.
The Demi-Servant was in silence for that moment as she slowly open the exit door and turned her head slightly towards him and he noticed her eye color changed into a warm gold that mixed to her blue, a small white crown also appeared that floated above her head which it disappeared shortly.
Romani suspected that it came from her unique origin, it was really odd why it appeared and Elaine doesn't seemed to realized as she showed her ethereal smile at him that could rival the basked sunset. But why does her eye colour changed as well? It doesn't felt like that Galahad took over her and it felt so inhumane yet humane at the same time.
What an odd combination, but given to her circumstances of being the survivor from the fuyuki fire, it may cause this effect or perhaps Elaine is distance relate to a divine being.
Or maybe she has an inactive noble phantasm in her body which he never made a medical check up with her.
"Don't worry, I am prepared for that for the long time and being a living human, I know that I will perish someday which I don't want it to regret it since this is the path I chose." She told him and closed the door while her eye colors changed to her orignal colour. Romani stood alone and he was thinking when Barbara called out of him.
"Romani? Did that guest left just now?" She said in innocent curiosity.
"...Yes." He answered his goddaughter shortly who slightly pouted because she wanted to talk to Elaine properly which Romani noticed and petted gently her head. "Don't be so gloomy right now. You'll manage talk to her when you meet her in the second." He encouraged her that made Barbara blushed lightly and quickly gotten away from his clutches because last time he did this to her, the doctor petted her almost an entire day which was pretty unbearable for her.
Romani however, chuckled slightly over the cute antics that Barbara has made as she avoided him which kind of hurts him a little but he knows that he deserves it.
"Don't remember the last time when you gave me your affections, Romani? I couldn't even work on my daily tasks or making food from entire day because of you!"
He just laughed nervously with his eyes closed, while the girl pointed her finger at him with puffed cheeks and annoyed eyes at him.
"Please forgive me, my overcute goddaughter who has a voice like an angel? I couldn't helped that I sometimes have this phase!"
'This goes on everytime... Why is he sometimes acting like an idiot? Whatever, Romani is a good man like my father said that to me.' She twitched her eyebrow a little then Barbara gave out a long sigh then crossed her arms and turned her face away at him.
"Then tell me about those Idols you are talking about."
Romani stopped his laughter and looked at her in surprised. "Eh?"
"Don't 'Eh' at me! Just tell me!" She snapped at him which his shoulder flinched of this sudden outburst from her and was in deep though if Romani allowed to speak of it, but since the small incident about that Alice found his precious magazine which contains Idols and harboured a deep interest. The doctor mentally throw his white flag and gave Celestia a middle finger!
Then he gently explained about what Idols actually are which Barbara took this new information like a sponge and would like to become an Idol someday to getting the people energized and lifting up their melancholy for their usual days.
Aaand this is how our favorite idiot doctor becomes the co-founder of Teyvat's idol group.
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